


Tales Untold

by Sasswarrior



Series: Kaider Shots [1]
Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Brotp, F/M, Ship, TLC, kaider, kinder - Freeform, marissa meyer, otp, the lunar chronicles - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 40,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22489948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sasswarrior/pseuds/Sasswarrior
Summary: A compilation of AU's and onshots for Kaider. Some are fluffy, while others are devastatingly sad, and every once in a while there's one just for laughs. Other ships are sometimes included as well.
Relationships: Crescent Moon "Cress" Darnel/Carswell Thorne, Jacin Clay/Winter Hayle-Blackburn, Kai/Linh Cinder, Scarlet Benoit/Wolf | Ze'ev Kesley
Series: Kaider Shots [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618105
Comments: 21
Kudos: 61





	1. Different Perspective

After leaving the lunar guard, Kinney, and Iko to get the earthens out of Luna safely, Kai sprinted down the halls of Artemisia palace with Torin trailing somewhat behind him. He couldn't think straight. He had to get to Cinder, to help her, to protect her. Stars, he had never been able to protect her. She had always rose so fast to the occasion to protect him and he had yet been able to return the favor. She had warned him at the ball, kidnapped him before his wedding, and was now trying to kill Levana all by herself.

The hallways of the Lunar Palace had been very confusing to Kai during his stay, but somehow he remembered the way to the throne room. Iko had told him that Cinder was going to face Levana by herself and that he thought that she might have gone to the throne room. He wasn't quite sure what he would do once he got there, considering that he could be used as a weapon, but he had to help Cinder in any way that he could.

As Kai neared the throne room he heard a murmur of voices and then a gasp and a bloodcurdling scream. Kai's blood turned to ice. He knew that scream. It was Cinder's. _Oh stars, what if I'm too late?_ Kai thought to himself. The scream was so full of pain that Kai couldn't even imagine the kind of torture a person must go through to be able to create such a sound.

Kai could now see the blood splattered walls of the throne room when he heard the sound of a gunshot. Kai quickened his pace, his legs turning to lead. He thrust open the throne room doors and was met by the sight of destruction and blood. Chairs were crushed and strewn everywhere. Blood coated a good portion of the floor and at the edge... Oh stars, it was Cinder. She was lying on her back, eyes looking glazed and far away as they stared up at the ceiling, and in the center of her chest was the hilt of a knife. "Cinder!" Kai screamed as he ran to her.

Kai slid to his knees right beside her as his heart sunk. He looked into her eyes and then at the knife. The whole front of her shirt was already coated in blood and she was as white as a sheet. "Cinder?" he whispered as he brushed his hair out of his eyes with one hand and cradled her head with the other.

Kai had never been more scared in his life. Not when his father died, or when he was kidnapped, or even when he had married Levana. He heard footsteps behind him and turned to yell for help. "Torin! Get help! Get a doctor! Torin, please!" Kai started to sob. He couldn't lose Cinder. She was the only thing that kept him going. She was the only person who truly understood him. She was the only person he could talk to, and the only person he loved. If Cinder died, then Kai might go crazier than Princess Winter and more savage than the wolf soldiers. He would be empty.

He slid his arms underneath her legs and around her shoulders, carefully cradling her and didn't even notice the extra weight from her metal leg. He could feel the warm stickiness of her blood against his skin and coating his dress shirt. Kai ran as fast as he could. He wasn't even sure where he was going but he knew he had to save her. Torin was ahead, leading the way towards help. Kai looked down at Cinder who had gone unconscious. She was pale as death and Kai couldn't help but think he had been too late, that Cinder was already gone.

Ahead of Kai, Torin yelled, "Kai! The wounded are being treated up here!" Kai felt a slight amount of relief, but only a very small amount. A med personnel ran up to them, looked at Cinder, and turned very pale. "She has to be helped!" Kai sobbed. He was so worried and tired. He wanted a world with peace, a place where he could fall asleep at night, a place where he could be with Cinder and not have to worry about Levana. _Was Levana dead? Had Cinder killed her?_ Kai didn't know. He hadn't stopped to see if the wretched lunar queen had been killed, he had been so worried about Cinder. It didn't matter at the moment. He only had to save Cinder.

"Put her over here," said the med personnel as she motioned to a hospital stretcher "she needs to go into surgery immediately." Kai did as she said and took Cinder's hand to reassure himself that she was still there, still alive. He didn't hear anything else that the lady said as he looked down at Cinder, her chest rising and falling in the shallowest of breaths as she lay there with the knife still deep inside her. He felt so useless. The lady came over with two other medical people in tow and started giving out orders so fast that Kai wasn't able to catch a word that she was saying.

The lady turned to Kai and he caught her name tag, Nancy. "Your Majesty you need to let go of the girl. We have to take her into immediate surgery right now." Kai looked at her in bewilderment. He had to let go? No. He had to stay with her, to comfort her, and himself. "Your Majesty," Now Nancy was looking agitated, "You can let go of her or we will have someone make you let go of her."

"No." Kai rasped. "I have to stay wi-" Kai was cut off as Torin and a medical personnel grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away.

"Cinder! No, Cinder! I have to be with- I- I- I- have to-" Kai sobbed hysterically as they carted Cinder away for surgery. He now understood what Iko meant when she said she felt useless. Kai felt so useless, so vulnerable, so hopeless.

Torin left Kai, claiming that he needed to go and take care of the Commonwealth's needs while Kai waited on Cinder. Kai hardly even noticed. He was a mess with a bloodstained shirt and tear stained face.

Kai didn't know how long he stayed there on that bench, but it could have been years for all that he knew. He was consumed with the fear that Cinder would leave him forever. He needed to know that she would be there, that she would open her eyes and look at him again and that her gaze wouldn't hold such pain and fear.

Eventually Thorne came by to see how Cinder was doing. He was pretty distressed himself, but it had been deemed that Cress would recover from being stabbed.

Thorne sat down next to Kai and they sat in silence. It felt comforting to Kai to know that someone else kind of understood and felt what he was going through. Thorne and Cinder were like best friends, even though they complained about each other non stop, he knew it would hurt Thorne a lot to lose Cinder. Her death could hurt them all.

Finally breaking the silence, Thorne turned to Kai, "How's she doing?" He asked. It was weird to hear Thorne not speaking in sarcasm for once. It was even stranger to see the mask of fear that had taken over his usually calm and collected features.

"They still don't know." Kai whispered, trying not to let sobbing start again. " They said that they would come and give me a report on how she was doing, but they haven't come out yet." He was too tired, too lonely, too scared.

Thorne nodded, "Cinder's tough, she'll pull through." Kai turned to him incredulously. "How many people do you know that have survived being stabbed in the heart Thorne?" Kai said, coming off more sharply than he normally would.

Thorne grimaced and got up to leave. "You should go take a shower and get some rest, your majesticness. You look like death." Kai winced at the brutality of the words but knew that he was right. He had been sitting here for hours, had tons of Cinder's blood on his shirt, and hadn't slept in what felt like forever. He needed to go and compose himself.

Following Thorne out of the waiting room, Kai left to his private quarters. Kai hadn't quite realized it while he had been so worried for Cinder, but he was exhausted. He needed sleep desperately but didn't think that he would be able to rest a second until he saw Cinder's eyes open again.

Upon arriving at his room, Kai collapsed onto his bed and let out a sob. He couldn't take this much longer. Kai was going to lose it if he didn't hear good news sometime soon. Cinder could be dead for all that he knew. Kai may never see her smile at him again, or laugh at one of his jokes, or even scowl at him for being an idiot. No. Kai couldn't sit here and cry, he was the emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth and he would be strong.

Kai got off the bed and went into the bathroom. He got into the shower and the warm water helped to clear some of his thoughts. He felt more relaxed and knew that he could take whatever hit him once he got out of the shower.

Upon leaving the warmth of the shower and changing into a new pair of clothes, Kai heard pounding at his door, "Your Majesty!" yelled Konn Torin. Kai jumped. Was this about Cinder? Was she awake? Was she dead? "Kaito, Queen Levana is dead!"

Kai knew that he should feel triumphant, but his only worry was Cinder. Yes, Levana was dead, but what if Cinder was too? What if the cost of Levana's life had been Cinder's own?

"Your Majesty?" Torin questioned, "Is everything okay? What's going on" Torin walked into the room and frowned as his eyes turned upon Kai's wet and worried appearance. "Cinder's still in surgery." Torin said with an understanding look on his face.

"I don't know what I'll do if she dies." Kai whimpered. He hadn't felt so hopeless since his father had died and even that didn't feel the same. Kai was in love with Cinder. She made him feel protected and safe. She completed him.

Torin nodded as if he didn't know what to say. Kai didn't know what to do and he was sick of worrying. He wanted to know if she would be alright. He wanted to know if she was not. He just needed an answer so that he could deal with the consequence. It was so infuriating to not know if he would ever gaze into Cinder's big brown eyes again.

Kai walked slowly to the door, past Torin, and back to the waiting room. Torin followed him like a ghost, his constant silent, companion. The area was the same as before and no one bothered Kai. It was as though they were afraid of him.

The room was so silent and Kai's eyes looked into the distance at nothing. His thoughts were becoming sluggish from lack of sleep, and he was beginning to wonder how long he had been awake, when he dozed off.

Seconds later, or so it felt, Kai was being shook awake. He looked around, startled, to see Torin with an enormous grin on his face. "Cinder's out of surgery!" He exclaimed, "She's going to be okay! She's going to live!"

Kai could have screamed with relief. Danced. Jumped up onto the chair he was sitting on. He was ecstatic with the knowledge that Cinder would live. Kai stood and looked around the dismal room with renewed hope. "Can I see her?" He asked.

Torin looked down at the ground. "They say that only family ca-" Torin began but Kai cut him off.

"I am the emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth and I will see my girlfriend!" Kai yelled in indignation. He didn't even know if that was what she was, considering that he had married her aunt, but it felt right.

Kai marched up to the nurse. "I would like to see Lihn Cinder." He stated blatantly. The woman looked at him as though he were making a joke.

"I'm sorry, but only family can see her and you are certainly not related to miss Lihn." She droned as though she were reading it out of a phone book.

"I _am_ going to see Cinder, so you better take me to her now." Kai said in his most authoritative voice. He gave her one of his most deadly glares and saw the nurse look at him nervously.

"Follow me this way then, your Majesty." She got up and ushered her into a sterile white hospital room.

The first thing that Kai noticed was Cinder, unconscious on the hospital bed. She looked awful, but alive, and that was all that mattered at the moment. Kai rushed to her side and grasped her hand.

She was still comatose and the doctors told him that she would be for a while. They told him a lot of stuff, but Kai didn't even hear them. He was so focused on Cinder, breathing peacefully, willing her to open her eyes. He felt guilty for wishing her awake, when she was so deserved to sleep, but he couldn't help himself.

Torin flew in a cybernetic expert to fix some of Cinder's control panel and what not, but Kai didn't even care. He just held her hand and watched her sleep. Torin also came and told him of some matters with the letumosis issue and Luna, but sighed and left when he could tell that Kai's attention was elsewhere.

Kai hardly ate or slept. Sometimes he would doze off, with his head resting on Cinder's bed and be awoken by Torin, telling him to go back to his room and get some rest, but he would just shake his head and stay in his chair.

Kai was exhausted. It had been three days since Cinder had killed Queen Levana and Kai ached from sitting in his chair. The cybernetic expert had come and Kai was worried that Cinder would be mad at him for not asking her permission when her eyes opened.

Everything was a blur as Cinder sat up, and gasped in pain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the woman who had been working on Cinder's hand fall to the ground. Kai jumped from his stool and rushed to Cinder's side. Kai then looked into her eyes and smiled, never feeling more relief than in that moment. 


	2. Fireworks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder's selling fireworks on the 4th of July when a cute boy comes to her booth.

The day was too hot for Cinder's liking and she wished she could go inside of the grocery store that her outdoor booth was next to. It was the fourth of July and Cinder had been selling fireworks for the past two weeks in weather that was well into the nineties.

Her family did the same stand every year, and every year, Cinder was the one left to do it all by herself. It was ridiculous and unfair, but at least her best friend Iko had volunteered to work with her.

The day had been slow, seeing as most people had already bought their fireworks, with the exception of a few frantic people who had procrastinated. Cinder was bored out of her mind and Iko had just left to get some soda's for the two of them.

Cinder was messing around with some of the silly decorations that sat on the desk, when she accidentally dropped one under the front counter. She ducked down and began searching for it but couldn't seem to find it.

Suddenly, someone drummed on the desk, and Cinder startled. She hit her head on the bottom of the table and got up to tell Iko off, when her furious gaze was met by someone else.

Her scowl, instead, landed on a boy had an apologetic look in his copper brown eyes. He had messy black hair and wore a gray hooded sweatshirt. _How could he wear that in July?_ She wondered to herself. She was wearing a tank top and shorts and was dying, but, to each his own. 

"I'm sorry," He said, bringing her back to reality. "I didn't realize that anyone was back here." He smiled and Cinder's heart skipped a beat. Stars, he was pretty good looking.

Cinder looked down at the counter. "It's fine," She said, "What can I do for you today" The boy smiled but Cinder continued to look down. He lowered himself down, making Cinder look at him, and he grinned.

"I was just coming to see if I could get some fireworks," He said, "and I hear that you guys sell the best fireworks." He laughed and continued to looked at Cinder. "My friends forgot, you see, and they sent me to come and get some." His eyes still captured hers and Cinder looked back down.

"What kind of fireworks do you need?" Cinder turned away from him to face her stock of different fireworks. "I have aerials, ground spinners, fountains..." Cinder trailed off and turned back around to see the boy staring, not at the fireworks, but at her. He blushed and looked at her display.

"I'll just take one of all of them, I guess." He said sheepishly. "I don't really know the difference and they didn't specify, so..." He looked back at her and then looked down at the desk. He picked up one of the holiday decorations and started messing with it.

Cinder grabbed one of everything and turned back to the boy and told him the cost. He payed, but didn't pick up his things. Instead, he looked at her like he was about to ask a very sincere question. "What's your name?" He questioned. That was not what she had been expecting.

"Cinder." She replied before she could even think. The boy smiled.

"Cinder," He rolled the name over his tongue and his grin became bigger, like he experienced joy in saying her name. "It's nice to meet you Cinder. My name is Kai." He said. He gathered up his things and looked into Cinder's eyes. Cinder looked down. "I guess I'll see you around, Cinder." He threw her one last heart stopping grin and walked away before Cinder could utter a single word.


	3. River Rafting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rampion Crew goes river rafting, and Cinder is a little bit nervous.

Cinder didn't know why she had agreed to go on the stupid trip. It was terrifying to think of being in a small raft with all of her friends, going down crazy rapids with the unknown possibility of falling out at any second. She still hated getting in water after her near death experience in Artemisia lake, even though her body was equipped to swim now.

Seeming to sense her worry, Kai turned and wrapped an arm around Cinder's shoulders and whispered in her ear, "It's going to be fine Cinder. I won't let anything happen to you." Cinder smiled and nestled her head into his shoulder, waiting for the hover ride to be over.

Too soon, they arrived at the river and it was time to get off. The whole rampion crew was there and all of them except for Iko would be going down the river. Iko was furious, but there weren't any androids that could withstand full water submersion, so she had agreed to be the driver.

The crew got up, laughing and talking amongst each other as the bustled off the large hover. "You guys better not tell me about all of the fun you had when you get back!" Iko scolded them. Cinder had offered to stay back with Iko, but Thorne had told her that she had to go.

Cinder was petrified. She was shaking so bad with nerves and Kai looked at her with concern and took her hand. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to. It's totally fine, no one will judges you."

"I will most definitely be judging hard core." Thorne rested his arm on Cinder's shoulder and smirked. "Are you too scared to go down a little river Cinder? Too much of a wimp?" Cinder scowled at him and Scarlet smacked him.

"You're such an idiot!" Scarlet exclaimed as the rest of the crew laughed. Cinder smiled, and Kai squeezed her hand.

"I'm gonna go." Cinder whispered to Kai and he smiled back at her with his heart stopping grin.

"I knew you would." Kai smirked and Cinder dropped his hand to smack him playfully.

The raft was rather small, but still big enough to fit all eight of them and the guide. His name was Billy and he had a huge scraggly beard and dark brown eyes and a kind face. He appeared to be in his late twenties and immediately made Thorne mad after proclaiming himself as Captain Billy.

Cinder sat in the back right side with Kai in front of her and Winter opposite her. Jacin sat in front of her while Thorne and Wolf sat in front with Cress and Scarlet behind them. They didn't have anyone in the middle of the boat because they had to have all eight of them rowing.

Billy explained the rules of the rapids and they hit their first one. They had to paddle all the way through it and Thorne cursed as he got soaked with the freezing river water. Everyone was laughing and having a good time as they went down the river. It was a blast.

When they hit the biggest rapid, their boat went vertical and Thorne plunged into the water. Everyone laughed as came up at the end of the rapid cursing. "That's what you get for being an idiot Thorne!" Cinder laughed at him.

Thorne came back into the boat with an evil glint in his eyes as he scrambled through the center and to the back and shoved Cinder in the water. It was cold as ice and she felt all of the air leave her in it's icy depths. The world was spinning and Cinder began to panic, not knowing which way was up, until her life jacket pulled her to the surface. She gasped and saw everyone looking at her with worry.

Cinder, much like Thorne, cursed as she came out of the water, mainly at Thorne. Everyone laughed and began pushing one another into the water. Thorne was dunked repeatedly into the water and everyone got pushed in at least once.

By the end of the two hour rapid ride, everyone was sopping wet and freezing, but smiling all the same. The big hover was blissfully warm and everyone climbed in gratefully.

More laughs were shared and Iko listened to their stories without complaint and laughed along with them. It was always so much fun when they got back together and Cinder smiled as she curled herself into Kai.

"Did you enjoy the river Cinder?" Kai whispered into her ear. Cinder looked up at him and smiled in response. Kai smiled and leaned his head on top of hers as they both fell asleep.


	4. Bus Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Called into some emergency business, Kai decides to take the bus where he meets a mysterious stranger, Cinder.

The day was hot and muggy and the last thing that Kai wanted to do was get into the sweltering bus with too many people in it, but it couldn't be avoided. His father had called to tell him that business was going through a rough patch and he needed Kai there by tonight. There had been literally no plane tickets to LA so Kai had decided to take the bus instead.

He didn't realize that he was claustrophobic until he climbed the steps of the dingy bus. It was so crowded and Kai wasn't sure if he would be able to find a seat. Children screamed as parents shushed them. Some people had ear buds in and rested their heads against the window, while others read books. It was a weird collection of people and Kai wasn't sure how he felt.

Finally, Kai found a seat next to a girl with messy brown hair and menacing brown eyes. Kai almost laughed at the scowl on her face as he asked, "Is this seat taken?"

She grunted and turned away from him. Kai smiled and sat down next to the girl. Maybe this bus ride wouldn't be so bad afterall. Kai was curious about this girl. Where was she going? What was her name? Why did she seem to dislike him? Kai's questions were swirling through his head when the girl turned her scowl back to him. "Why are you staring at me?"

Kai blushed and looked down with a muttered apology. Why was he acting like this? Of course she disliked him. He was staring at her like a creep. He needed to stop looking at her. Stars, it was easier said than done. Something about her just made him want to study her features and memorize them. She wasn't exceptionally pretty unless you looked, and that's when Kai realized that he was looking.

"What's your name?" The question slipped out of Kai's mouth after twenty minutes of wondering it and he blushed as she turned to look at him.

"Cinder." _Cinder._ Kai had never known anyone named Cinder before, but he liked the name. He wanted to say it aloud but thought that it might be weird.

"I'm Kai." He smiled his most charming grin and he wanted to high five himself when he saw that Cinder had stopped scowling and was now looking amused. "Are you from around here, Cinder, or are you just visiting?"

Kai wasn't sure if he was being nosy, but he really wanted to know more about Cinder. Plus he loved saying her name. It felt too perfect as he rolled it off of his tongue and all he wanted to do was say it until he couldn't speak.

Cinder eyed him suspiciously, like she wasn't sure if she wanted give anymore information about herself to Kai. "Not anymore." Cinder answered. Her voice was final, as though she was trying to tell this to herself, just as much as she was trying to convince Kai.

Not anymore? That was not really much of an answer for Kai, but he realized that she didn't want to talk about it. Maybe she was running away or something. Maybe she was just trying to get him to shut up.

Cinder looked away from Kai again and put a set of earbuds into her ears and closed her eyes. Kai continued to look at her. What in the name of all the stars was wrong with him? She had said less than ten words to him, and yet she had him entranced. Kai wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to know what she did to what kind of cereal was her favorite. Stars, he needed to get a grip.

About an hour had passed since Kai had boarded the bus, when Cinder's head slid sideways onto his shoulder. He froze, not sure what to do, and not entirely sure if he wanted to do anything.

Turning his head awkwardly, Kai could tell that Cinder was out cold. Kai hadn't noticed this small detail, while he had been too absorbed in every feature of her face. Her pale lids, the soft slope of her nose, her perfect pale lips.

Kai faced his head forward again, resting his head against the headrest. He felt more relaxed with Cinder next to him, even though he had only just met her. It was strange, but Kai felt an odd connection to her that he had never felt with anyone else. It was like he knew her, but only from a dream, and he was finally waking up to find her a reality.

The bus was still loud as Kai closed his eyes, but he felt as though it were only him and Cinder. He wanted to stay here forever, content on getting to actually know the mystery girl sleeping silently on his shoulder.

Kai's thoughts swirled in his head, until they turned into dreams. His head slid down to rest on Cinder's as he slept.

The next thing Kai knew, Cinder's head snapped out from under his, breaking his peaceful sleep. "Wha-"

"I'm sorry!" Cinder blushed a deep shade of red, and Kai smiled as he looked at her. Cinder stood to get off the bus, and only then did Kai realize that it had stopped. This must be Cinder's stop.

Kai watched as Cinder walked away from him and out into the world beyond. He watched as her messy ponytail swayed as she walked away, leaving Kai.

Kai sat back in his seat again, content on reliving his brief moments with Cinder, not even realizing that they had passed his stop over an hour before.


	5. Number Twenty-one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai goes to a soccer game and has a little crush on a certain player.

"Look at number twenty-one!" Kai yelled over the noise of the crowd. He was in complete awe as he watched the girl with messy brown hair and the number twenty-one on her back score yet another goal. She was a sophomore, and was starting varsity for Luna High, and had an amazing left footed shot.

Thorne turned to look at Kai with a smirk on his face. "Aces, Kai. It's only the first game of the season and you already have a crush on one of the soccer players?" Thorne laughed and turned away as Kai began to blush.

Shaking his head, Kai turned back to Thorne. "I do not have a crush on her, nor any other girl before her!" Kai yelled indignantly as Thorne chuckled even more.

"Stars, Kai, you've been making moon eyes at her the entire game. Even if we are Luna, but you need to get a grip on yourself!" Thorne smirked again and Kai's blush deepened as he turned his head to the grass, trying to remember the score and realizing he really had only been watching number twenty-one.

The final whistle blew, signalling the end of the game, and all of Luna's players came running in cheering. It was clear that they had won, with number twenty-one scoring at least five times. Kai still didn't understand how she was so good. He wanted to go and talk to her, but wasn't sure how to do it without looking like a complete loser.

Kai didn't realize that he was staring at the girl until another player with fiery red curls nudged twenty-one, pointed in his direction, and whispered something in twenty-one's ear. Number twenty-one turned and looked at Kai straight in the eyes. Kai had never blushed more.

Turning his back away from the two girls, Kai watched as the mascot made his way through the crowd, high fiving people and laughing.

Their mascot wasn't like most. He didn't wear a costume, but used his unusual wolf-like features to play the part. As Luna High, their mascot was the wolf, and Kai's close friend, Ze've, was perfect for the part. People had been calling him Wolf for years, even before Kai and Thorne had talked him into becoming the mascot.

"Did you enjoy the game?" Kai swirled around and was face to face with number twenty-one's brown eyes and messy brown hair. She was sweaty and had flyaway hairs surrounding her flushed face. She looked exhausted from playing nearly the entire game, but Kai thought that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. "Hello?" The girl waved a hand in front of his face and Kai realized that he had been staring at her with his mouth open.

"Oh, um, sorry! I mean I'm Kai- Wait! What's your- I um, um, yeah." Kai stuttered as the girl scrunched her face in confusion. Kai wanted to kick himself. What in the name of all the stars was wrong with him? Why couldn't he talk to this girl like a normal person?

Gazing at him as though she were concerned for his sanity, the girl nodded slowly. "I'm Cinder Lihn."

"I'm Kai." Kai wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He had already said that! In the name of all the stars, Kai only wanted to have a regular conversation with this amazing, talented, beaut-

"We've already established that. Alright, it was nice meeting you Kai!" She smiled at him and turned to leave with her friends. Kai watched her as she left and couldn't even make himself look away when Cinder turned around to look at him with caution in her eyes.

"Hey moon eyes!" Thorne whispered in Kai's ear, making him jump as he twisted to see his best friend. "I see you've made yourself acquainted with Luna's lead scorer." Thorne laughed and Kai punched him.

"I don't want to talk about this, Thorne." Kai grumbled and stalked off. He was ticked. Ticked at himself. Ticked at Thorned. Ticked at his stupid mouth for making him seem like an idiot in front of the first girl he had ever really wanted to know. She was the only girl who seemed to not be charmed by him, and she was also the only girl who Kai couldn't talk to.

Chuckling at his own stupidity, Kai walked across the parking lot, to his car. His thoughts were of Cinder. Kai had to get to know her. Just as Kai opened his car door, his thoughts still on Cinder, a soccer ball hit Kai straight in the head, while Thorne laughed in the background.


	6. Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder's missing Kai whilst ruling Luna as their new queen. So when she gets a call from him, she's rather excited.

The day was dark and cold, reflecting Cinder's mood right back at her as she stared out at Artemisia lake. Luna wasn't due for another sunrise until next week, and it always made her anxious not being able to see or feel it's warmth.

Cinder had finally become comfortable with being queen, but she felt all alone, even if she did have Iko. She missed the rest of her friends, even Jacin. She missed Earth, with its sunrise, and real trees, and mountains topped with snow. But most of all, she missed Kai.

She missed Kai's smile, and the way it lit up the entire room. She missed his laugh, and his jokes that made her laugh in return. She missed talking with him face to face about how hard it was, and having him help and comfort her.

Luna was a dull place, but Cinder knew that her biggest issue was being without Kai. It was weird. She had only met him less than a year ago, yet Cinder couldn't remember how she had been able to live without him. It was as though Cinder was living without her heart, and she couldn't function right without it.

Cinder also missed the rest of her friends. She saw Thorne and Cress every so often as they came and went to deliver antidotes. Winter was an ambassador, and so she and Jacin were in and out too. Scarlet and Wolf had come to visit her only a month ago, but they had the farm to look after. Kai was the only one whom she hadn't seen since the revolution.

Sure, Cinder had a d D-comm chip that she used to talk with Kai at least a few times a week, and commed messages with him multiple times a day, but she wanted to actually be with him.

Cinder turned away from the lake and sat down on her lavish throne. She hated the thing, and despised sitting in it. She felt like Levana, who had always looked down on everyone, so she only came into the room by herself, and had appointments held elsewhere.

The palace was completely silent, but that was no surprise to Cinder. Most everybody was asleep by two AM unless they were on guard duty. Cinder sighed, feeling even more depressed in the quiet of the throne room, but also relieved to be alone.

Suddenly, there was a ping from her port, and Cinder quickly picked it up and examined it. She smiled as she read the words, video comm request from Emperor Kaito, and quickly clicked the accept button.

Kai's face appeared on her screen, a huge grin on his tired face. Cinder knew that if she could, she would be blushing in that moment.

"Cinder!" Kai exclaimed, and the image of his face shook as he began bouncing up and down in his excitement. "I missed you a lot. Did I wake you up? Oh my stars, I'm so sorry! I should have checked th-"

"Kai!" Cinder cut him off, chuckling. "I've been awake this whole time. I missed you too." Cinder smiled and watched as Kai's worry turned to calm. "I actually couldn't sleep, so I'm glad that you commed."

The two of them beamed at each other for a moment, Cinder touching the screen, wishing that she could touch Kai. She wished that she could simply fall through the screen and be with him, but she had a moon to run.

"So," Kai started, breaking the comforting silence, "The ball is coming around next month, and I know you said you would be my date and everything, but I just wanted to make sure we were still good for that?" Kai winked, making Cinder laugh.

Cinder shook her head. "Actually, Kai, I've been meaning to tell you something. I am going to go with this guy I met here, on Luna. I just don't see a future for the two of us." Cinder sighed, a mock look of seriousness on her face.

For a moment, Kai looked confused, before he burst out laughing, Cinder joining in with him. It was fun to tease with Kai, because he never took it personally, or seriously. They were like best friends who had known each other their entire lives. They understood each other better than anyone else, and their personalities complemented each other in the most wonderful way. I guess you could say they were soulmates.

It was funny how Cinder had never even noticed any guys before she met Kai. She hadn't even noticed him before actually meeting him and getting to know him. Kai hadn't noticed girls before her. Never taken an interest at the balls. Never even dated a girl, or kissed a girl before Cinder, though he had been married, but that was not his fault. It was as though their stars had aligned, making them perfect for each other. _Soulmates._

Soulmates, that somehow got lucky enough to be with each other. Soulmates who actually met, and conquered all other things that tried to keep them apart.

The word made Cinder smile in a cocky sort of way, and Kai laughed. "What are you thinking about up there on that moon?" Kai asked, getting a confused, but happy look on his face. He loved talking to her just as much as she did him, and it was pure agony to be apart. The connection was just as good though, and the long distance had yet to cause them any problems. They still loved each other.

"I was just thinking about how we're soulmates." Cinder said, knowing that if she could blush, she would look like one of Wolf's tomatoes. Kai grinned at her, a pink tint to his cheeks at her words, but an almost childlike look on his face.

"We were pretty much destined to be with each other." Kai teased, causing Cinder to give him a playful glare, before laughing again. "But, even if we are soulmates," Kai made a parenthesis hand gesture and winked, "You still haven't answered my question. Will you come to the ball with me, your most Queenliness?"

"Ah, I guess so, your majesticness." Cinder laughed, then paused. "We need to stop talking like Thorne before I puke." Kai chuckled and Cinder joined in. She was so excited to see Kai. She would dress up in a gauzy dress and twelve inch heels if it meant she got to see him again. Luckily, she was only wearing a simple dress and flats though, which she was grateful for.

Kai twirled a finger through the air, before pointing it at Cinder. "That only leaves one thing left then." Kai smirked, and Cinder became cautious.

"And what might that be?" Cinder inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Will you come down a few days early for me to give you those dance lessons?" Kai asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Cinder sighed, mockingly, though she was only joking. She wasn't even kidding though, when she said her response. "Fine, I'll do it."


	7. Macaroni and Cheese

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Cinder and Kai's engagement, they've hardly had any time to relax in one another's company. Kai tells Cinder he has a surprise for her.

Cinder walked out of the meeting room and through the halls with the regality and grace of a Queen. Of course, she had spent her time being a Queen, and was done with it, but she still maintained the composure while in the presence of high authorities.

The meeting had been a buzz of news. Kai and Cinder had finally told the world leaders of their engagement, and were preparing to tell the press. It had been two weeks since Scarlet and Wolf's wedding in France, leaving them just enough time to tell their friends of their engagement a couple days later, and allowing Cinder to make a quick stop on Luna before going home. To Earth. To the Eastern Commonwealth. To Kai.

The two had hardly spent a moment apart since their engagement, and Thorne claimed they were even more unbearable to be around than the newlywed Scarlet and Wolf. They had been living in complete bliss with the prospect of their unity on the horizon, and Cinder was enjoying every moment of it.

Kai was just as happy as Cinder, and had been dying to share the news of their engagement with everyone around them. He had nearly burst at having to wait two weeks to share she news with his entire country, but Cinder had insisted they take it slow. They did not need anymore riots than they already had.

Smiling to herself, Cinder remembered when he had confessed that he had planned on proposing a couple days after the wedding, with all the crazy going on, but couldn't wait. He had told her that he had been carrying the ring since he got home after the revolution, waiting for the right moment to propose, and had almost bought one on Luna, before giving her back her foot.

Cinder shook her head at the memory, laughing. She couldn't explain to herself why she found Kai so adorable, but everything he did just made her feel happy. He was the only person who always managed to make her feel better about herself. He was her sunshine and her smile, and she loved him more than Luna.

Turning down the long hallway, Cinder walked towards her quarters. They were in the royal family's wing, seeing how she would soon be a part of the royal family, and they were just down the hall from Kai's. He had told her he had a surprise for her at lunch, and had asked her to wait for him in her room until he had it ready.

Just thinking about Kai made Cinder begin to giggle, a thing she rarely did. He was a goofball, but she was curious to see what his surprise would be.

Patience was not one of Cinder's strong suits, and so when the knock came at her door, Cinder answered it immediately, a smile coming onto her face.

Kai stood behind the door, his hand still raised from knocking, and a grin of his own stretched across his features. "Someone's a little excited now, aren't they?" Kai smirked, quirking an eyebrow up as Cinder rolled her eyes, and gave Kai a quick peck on the lips.

"I'm just anxious to see what you have in store for me, you nerd." The couple laughed and linked arms, as Kai led them down the hallway.

The duo talked and laughed the entire way to the Emperor's private dining room, where two large bowls sat across from each other. Cinder stopped in her tracks eyeing Kai suspiciously. "Now what might we have here?" Cinder giggled, failing at keeping a straight face.

Kai walked over to a chair, and pulled it out for Cinder, bowing like a gracious host. Cinder curtsied, and sat down into her seat, gazing into the contents of the bowl in front of her.

It was a type of pasta, covered in what seemed like cheese. It smelled like cardboard, and Cinder began to question Kai's taste in food.

"What you have there," Kai boomed in a dramatic voice as he sat down across from Cinder, "Is the greatest food of all time. Macaroni and Cheese." Kai smiled like he was delighted with himself. "And I made it special for you!"

Cinder chuckled at Kai. He was so excited with himself, that she couldn't bear to tell him that she and Thorne had eaten Macaroni on the Rampion, and called it yellow devil. It tasted like it smelled, and Cinder wondered why the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth loved it so much, what with all the fine food they ate at the Palace.

"Sometimes I swear you are five years old!" Cinder laughed, as she and Kai began to eat the yellow rubber. The look on Kai's face as he devoured the stuff was enough to make Cinder happy forever. She was so in love with him it hurt, and all his goofiness made him even more lovable.

"I swear Cinder, if I wasn't so in love with you, I would marry this Mac and Cheese. It's that good!" Kai teased. Cinder plastered a fake frown on her face and looked down at her bowl of yellow mush.

"Are you having commitment issues, Kai?" Cinder looked at him, serious, before she burst out laughing, Kai choking from inhaling a stray noodle, causing Cinder to laugh even harder.

The pair enjoyed the rest of their yellow mush, teasing each other, and laughing as they both made sassy remarks. Life was going good, and the couple were looking ahead to a great future together, filled with lots of love, laughter, and Macaroni and Cheese.


	8. Dead Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate ending to Winter.

Kai was running down the hallways of Artemisia Palace as fast as he could. He had to get to Cinder. He had to find her before something happened to her.

Iko had told Kai she would be in the Throne room to try and defeat Levana, but she was all by herself. Their predicament wasn't all that good, what with Thorne being taken, Wolf a full on monster, and Winter losing her head completely. Cinder would probably be on her own.

The Throne room door loomed in front of Kai, and he slammed into then with a crash. The doors burst open, and Kai observed the scene before him, horrified. The bodies of six people spread across the room.

Thorne lay sprawled and broken next to the door, his eyes lifeless with the bullet in between them. There was a bloody knife next to him, and he was covered in blood. His right hand was mangled with two fingers missing. He stared at the ceiling with no light in his eyes. He was dead.

Tears stung Kai's eyes at the sight, but he moved on, needing to find Cinder. The next body was Cress, even smaller in death. She had her eyes closed, but she was not breathing, Blood covered her entire front, and she was pale as a ghost. She was dead.

It was like watching a slow motion car crash. Kai wanted to look away. He wanted to run, but he had to continue. The next two bodies were next to each other. Scarlet. Wolf. Scarlet had cuts all over her body, and a bullet in her chest. Her brown eyes were filled with anger, even in their emptiness, because she too, was dead.

Wolf had his arms wrapped protectively around Scarlet. He was also scratched up, but the knife that was sticking out of his throat was what had killed him. He looked oddly peaceful, with Scarlet, well, not safely, in his arms. His brilliant green eyes were closed, but he was most definitely dead.

Hot tears began to stream down Kai's face as he moved on to the next body. This one he felt no remorse for. Levana lay deformed and broken across the marble. She had a bullet in her temple, and she was dead.

The final body made Kai cry out. Her brown hair was matted with blood, and her brown synthetic eyes were closed. Her tan skin was pale as the moon, and covered with blood. She had stab and bullet wounds covering her body, and a knife jutting out of her chest. She was dead.

Kai knelt down besides Cinder and began to sob. He scooped her body up into his arms and began to rock back and forth. He screamed her name. He begged her to return back to him. He pleaded for their lives to be exchanged, but it was useless. She was dead, and she wasn't coming back.

Kai told Cinder he loved her, and that if he could have, he would have made her his Empress. He would have married her, grown old with her, died with her. He told her how he regretted throwing her into prison, and wished that he could have saved her. He told her how he had kept her foot, and that it was his most treasured possession.

He cried, and sobbed, and kissed her forehead, but his Cinder was gone. She had left her body, but Kai couldn't, even as it grew colder.

Eventually Iko, and Torin came running into the room. Torin cursed as he observed the area, and came to stand besides Kai, still clutching Cinder to him.

Iko on the other hand, collapsed, and let out the most horrible noise. Her screams seemed to echo through Kai, until she too, fell silent, leaving Kai to wonder if she had exploded.

A few minutes after Iko and Torin came, palace guards and doctors began to show up. Apparently the battle was over, and now people were looking for their new Queen, but they had none. Levana was dead, Cinder was dead, and Winter was crazy. They had no one.

The medical personels put each body in its own black bag, until there was only Cinder left. Kai was not going to let her go, even if they threatened his life over it. "But your Majesty," Said a woman growing more and more impatient, "we need to take the body. She's dead."

Many different people tried to take Cinder away from him, but it wasn't until Torin talked with him, that he did.

Kai sobbed as he watched three people lift Cinder into a sixth black bag, and carry her away. Torin told Kai that he should go to his room and rest, but Kai couldn't register his words. The only thing that was going through his mind was,

 _Thorne_... dead.

 _Cress_... dead.

 _Scarlet_... dead.

 _Wolf._.. dead.

 _Cinder_... dead.

 _Cinder_ , the love of his life, his best friend, his second half, dead. She was gone, and there was no way that Kai coul bring her back. He would be expected to move on with his life, forget the dead lost princess, and rule his country.

Kai stopped sobbing. He stopped feeling. He stopped thinking. He went numb. He went cold. He went away. No, he didn't get up and leave, he left his mind.

The screams that filled the Throne room made people come running. Many hands tried to comfort him. Many words tried to console him, but they were fruitless.

Someone eventually stuck a needle in the back of Kai's neck, making him fall into a dreamless sleep that Kai welcomed gladly.

Kai awoke with a splitting headache. His mind felt fuzzy as he gazed around the room of an infirmary. He was all alone, except for Torin, who sat in a chair next to him. He looked exhausted, his eyes bloodshot and his skin pale.

"They came back with a medical report," croaked Torin, "I'm going to read it to you, Your Majesty." Kai simply nodded his head, a feeling of dread creeping through him. "Thorne stabbed Cress in the stomach, and the Scarlet stabbed Wolf's throat. Thorne then shot Scarlet in the lungs, and she immediately shot Thorne in the head. Levana was of course controlling both Thorne and Scarlet. After that, Levana stabbed Cinder in the heart, and shot Levana in return. The order of death from first to last is Thorne, Scarlet, Wolf, Levana, Cinder, and Cress.

Kai's ears rang with Cinder's name. She had died after Levana. She had died alone. Kai wished he had been with her. Kai wished she was with him, but his wish was dead.

Kai sat in dumbfounded silence, before remembering he had more people to worry about, though he hardly cared anymore. "What about Winter? Jacin? Iko?" Kai asked, unsure if he wanted to hear the answers.

Torin frowned, "Princess Winter is inconsolable, and the doctors believe she will never be right in the head again. Jacin is upset about Winter, but relatively fine. Iko... Iko's systems shut down after, um, after everything, and her, well, she's gone." Torin finished, his voice husky.

Kai nodded, and look back down at his hands. He wished he could go back in time and stop Cinder from ever going into that Throne room. He wished he could have saved the rest of his friends, but they were now gone.

Life seemed to have lost its point once Cinder had left it. Kai didn't know how he was going to rule his country when half of his heart had died. He closed his eyes, and imagined for but a moment, that his friends were still there with him, laughing, and joking, and having fun, before he let them all go.

One by one he said his goodbyes to Thorne, who had always been a pain, but tried to do the right thing in the end. To Cress, who was the smartest and sweetest girl that Kai had ever met. Scarlet, rough on the outside, but more compassionate than the average person. Wolf who was frightening on the outside, but so gentle on the inside. Iko, who was sometimes crazy and overbearing, but the most caring android. And Cinder... Cinder, who had been a leader to everyone one around her. Who had started this entire rebellion. Cinder who he loved more than anyone. Who he would never actually be able to let go of, because she was part of him.

One by one, Kai let go of his friends, wishing he could bring back their days of life. But his wish was dead.


	9. Yeah, I'm a Stalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Harry Potter AU where a certain Gryffindor is in love with a certain Slytherin.

Professor Snape scared the stars out of Kai, but that didn't stop him from staring at the cute Slytherin girl across the dungeon. The greasy-haired teacher had told Kai a thousand times that if he didn't start paying attention in class, he would fail his O.W.L.'s. It was a frightening prospect for Kai, but his eyes could not stop looking at her.

Suddenly, the girl looked up, saw him staring, and glared at Kai. He blushed the bright shade of red that his potion had turned to, and looked down at his failed project. He was busted

It's not like Kai had never noticed the girl before. He had gone to school with Cinder Lihn for the past five years, and had still never had a proper conversation with her. It wasn't much his fault either. Gryffindor and Slytherin had never been friends, and every time Kai brought Cinder up with his best friend, Thorne, he had become furious.

"You can't go around making moon eyes at a freaking Slytherin, for luna's sake!" Thorne had yelled after Kai had asked him for his potion notes for the gazillionth time.

Yeah, his friends thought he was crazy, but Kai was determined. He looked back down at his shrinking potion, and decided to give up. It had turned coral, and smelled of burned rubber, causing his classmates to glare at him.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Prince, for staring at Lihn the entire class period," Snape sneered. "If you think that you will be able to pass my class just because your father is the minister of magic, then think again. I don't care about young teen celebrities, got it Prince?"

"Yes, sir." Kai growled under his breath, blushing a furious shade of red. It was one thing for Snape to call him out for sucking at potions, it was another to announce to the class that he had been staring at Cinder.

Thorne leaned across their shared desk and gagged, having accidentally smelled Kai's potion. "You know I hate the guy," Thorne whispered mockingly, "but he has a point."

Kai glared at his best friend. Thorne shrugged and got back to his own potion, only slightly better than Kai's.

Finally, the bell rang, and Kai dashed out of the class as fast as he could... But not fast enough.

"Hey, Prince!" A hand grabbed Kai's backpack and he turned around, coming face to face with none other than Cinder.

Kai blushed. "Oh, hey, I'm actually kinda, um, busy. I'll catch you another time. Bye!" Kai began to walk forward, but was seized yet again by Cinder. "Hey, I don't want to hex you or anything, but I don't appreciate stalkers. Goodbye."

Cinder scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh please," she laughed, "if I were to stalk someone, it wouldn't be you, but I do have a question."

Giving up on trying to run away, Kai raised his hands in the air. "Okay, fine. Shoot." Kai deadpanned, trying to act nonchalant, even reaching back to lean on a desk that wasn't there. He stumbled awkwardly, hoping Cinder hadn't seen, and crossed his arms.

"Why do you keep staring at me in class?" Cinder raised an eyebrow. Kai blushed unsure what to say. He thought he had been pretty low-key about it, and had only been caught by her a few times. That was no big deal, right?

Kai huffed, "I just sometimes look off into the distance when I'm in deep thought, and sometimes my eyes just happen to look at you." Kai said, pretending to be exasperated, while his insides were screaming at him to run.

"Since when does a Gryffindor think?" Cinder rolled her eyes. "Anyway, do you mean always?" Cinder questioned, "Because you stare at me all the time. In Potions, Care of magical Creatures, at mealtimes, in the hallway. It's a bit creepy."

Yep, Kai's insides were burning with humiliation. He felt like he was in the wrong house, seeing as the only thing going through his mind was, 'Run!'

No, Kai was in Gryffindor for a reason, and that meant that he would put on his brave face and talk to Cinder like a man... or blubber like a fool, because that's all that came out when Kai opened his mouth.

"I, um, argh-gah blah muh ger oh meh, yeah." Kai blushed, unable to form a complete sentence. Or any words. Dang, this was not going well.

Cinder tilted her head to the side and squinted her eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked in a concerned tone, as if talking to a distressed three year old.

Crap. Now she thought he was a blubbering fool who couldn't string two words together. Just great. He needed to get it together before he started talking to her again and accidentally said something totally bizarre, like asking her to marry him or something. His chances were not looking good.

Kai inhaled deeply, and then smiled his most charming smile. It was the smile that made most girls swoon over him, but not Cinder. "Yeah, I'm fine," Kai said, "how are you?"

What on Luna was wrong with him? How are you? Kai internally slapped himself at his stupidity, then looked at Cinder to see her reaction. She had a soft smile on her face and let out a small chuckle.

"I guess I'm good," Cinder laughed, rolling her eyes. Kai's stomach did a backflip at the sound of her tinkling laugh. He couldn't control his thoughts. His mind began racing. "Well," Cinder took a step back, "if that's all, I gotta go meet up with my friends. It's lunch." Cinder pointed her thumb backwards, towards the great hall.

Kai was frozen as Cinder turned around and began to walk away. His heart pounded, and in a moment of complete stupidity, Kai blurted out, "Will you go out with me?" except he said it so fast that it sounded like he had moaned.

Cinder turned around. "Excuse me?" she asked, tilting her head again. Stars, she was so adorable when she did that. It reminded him of a puppy. No, that was really creepy. She was just so mesmerizing that Kai's thought got kinda fuzzy. _Yeah, I'm a stalker._

It took Kai a moment to realize that she had asked him a question. Then a few more to remember what it had been. In an unexpected moment of courage, Kai ran his hand through his hair and looked Cinder dead in the eyes, "Will you go out with me?"

Cinder's face didn't reveal anything as she thought over Kai's words. She still had her head tilted, but now had a slight frown. Kai's palms had begun to sweat. What if she said no? What if she laughed at him and then hexed him.

Suddenly Kai had a horrifying vision of Cinder turning into the muggle version of a witch and hexing him into oblivion. Maybe her friends would even join in, and then there would be no more Kai for the world.

"Sure," Cinder said, snapping Kai out of his thoughts.

"Wait, what?" Kai asked, unsure whether or not he had heard her correctly.

Cinder rolled her eyes. "I said sure." Cinder smirked at Kai, "I guess I'll see you around, Prince." and with that, she turned and walked towards the great hall.

Kai stood there, dumbstruck. Had Cinder Lihn really just agreed to go out on a date with him? He straightened up, a grin covering his face from ear to ear. Nothing could possibly bring him down from his joy, nothing at-

"Prince!" Snape snapped at the end of the dungeon hallway.

Except maybe that.


	10. Capture the Flag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A PJO AU involving capture the flag and some familial flirting (yes, but no, don't worry).

"Okay, so battle strategy," Cinder started, "We'll have Dionysus, and Demeter distracting the other team." She looked around the group as the two cabins nodded. "Hermes is in charge of getting the flag, and no silly business." She glared at Thorne, councilor of cabin 11.

Kai smiled, realizing what would happen right before she said it. "And that leaves Hephaestus and Zeus to guarding the flag." Cinder sighed, and looked at Kai who nodded in agreement.

Being a child of Zeus was great and all, except when all of your siblings had left on epic quests, leaving you to chill and play capture the flag. Kai felt like he was letting his father down, but there were perks to staying at camp. Like a really cute daughter of Hephaestus.

Everyone adjusted all of their weapons, getting ready for the game, when Thorne spoke up. "Cinder, make sure you don't get distracted over here. I see you left big thunder with you." Thorne winked and then came over to whisper into Kai's ear as Cinder glared. "You gonna make the move with your niece yet?" Thorne laughed, and jogged away before Kai could think of anything to say, but not fast enough. Just before Thorne had caught up with his cabin, a wrench came and hit him. Courtesy of Cinder.

Kai laughed. Cinder wasn't your ordinary demigod. Sure, she was great at fighting, and the best mechanic in probably the whole world, besides Hephaestus, but there was more to her than that. She was smart, sassy, funny, sarcastic, and everything that made her just so fun to be around. Cinder had come to camp when she was eleven, coming a little later than most, and years after Kai had first arrived.

Now, Kai had been friends with Thorne for a while. All of the councilors got along well, but he and Thorne had known each other even before becoming councilors. They had come to camp about the same time, and had somehow ended up becoming good friends.

Sadly, Kai had gotten drunk one night and accidentally spilled to Thorne about his feelings for Cinder, and Thorne had decided to tease him about her being his niece. But around camp Half Blood, it's hard to find a love interest who you're not related to.

Kai tightened the straps on his armor, taking deep, calming breaths. He felt confident with their teams odds, even if they were facing a rough crowd.

First off, they had Thorne and the rest of Hermes trying to steal the flag, and they were the best thieves in all of the world.

Second, they had Scarlet, councilor of Demeter. Now, normally Demeter is pretty docile and chill, but not Scarlet. She was one of the most competitive people Kai had met, and would stop at almost nothing to win.

Lastly, Cinder was the most brilliant and talented person Kai had ever met. She would lead them to victory, giving everything she had to get there.

Even though Kai was positive that they would win, their opponents were nothing to laugh at. For starters, Jacin, councilor of Apollo cabin, was one heck of a straight shooter. He was a great fighter too, but he had a weakness. Winter, child of Aphrodite, who he would do anything to protect her.

Ares was also a frightening prospect, but they had lost a lot of their muscle after Wolf, their previous councilor had left on a quest a few weeks back.

But the most frightening was probably cabin 6. Athena.

Though their councilor was about five feet tall, she was way smart. Cress had come out with some of the most outrageously crazy and brilliant plans, and was practically a mad scientist. Except for the fact that she was really sweet, and not crazy, and really not like a mad scientist.

"You ready to win?" Kai jumped, nearly dropping his sword. Cinder was looking at him with humor in her eyes. She knew she had surprised him.

Kai smirked, trying to hide his blush. "They better be ready to see stars, because we're gonna whip the other cabin's butts!" Kai exclaimed while Cinder shook her head. She turned away to speak with her siblings, telling each of them a specific location to go to.

Cinder finished talking to her fellow cabin mates, and turned back to Kai. He noticed that she had kept him with her, and his stomach began to do little jumping motions. He hopped on his toes to try and calm himself, but it only seemed to make it worse.

"Nervous?" Cinder asked with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes. Kai smiled and brought his feet flat to the ground.

"Naw," Kai shook his head and set his face forward.

Cinder laughed, and Kai reddend. "So," Cinder started, "I've heard some interesting things from Carswell Thorne. Some things that include you."

Crap. Crap. Crap.

Kai was going to electrify Thorne until his hair fell out. It was one thing to tease, but Thorne had broke the system of trust by telling Cinder about his feelings.

His brain was reeling, and it took Kai a second to realize that Cinder was waiting for a response. She had a playful smile on her face that made Kai's brain freeze up and all he could muster was a, "Oh, really?"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "I'm just messing with you lightning bolt. I know that Thorne is full of crap and that you don't have feelings for the crazy daughter of Hephaestus. Relax."

But Kai couldn't relax. Did she think that Kai couldn't actually like her? That he didn't? Did she not realize how obsessed he had been with her for the past few years?

Kai didn't think as his mouth came up with a retort. "You think I don't like you?"

Cinder blinked, looking puzzled. "Um," Cinder tilted her head to the side, as if trying to decide whether or not Kai was pulling a trick on her.

Rolling his eyes, Kai put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, Cinder, I like you. I like you rather a lot." Kai blushed as he said this, but felt no regret. He had been trying to work up the nerve to tell her this for years, and the right time had finally presented itself.

Cinder scoffed, making Kai do a double take. "What?" he asked, feeling self conscious.

"Kai," Cinder took a step back, "you are a child of Zeus. I am a child of Hephaestus. I am deformed, ugly, and scarred. I am not supposed to be with a child of the big three. Especially not a child of Zeus."

This shocked Kai to his core. Did she think she wasn't good enough to be with him? If anything, it was the other way around.

"Hold up," Kai put his palm out towards Cinder, "you don't honestly believe that." Kai shook his head. "No, no. Cinder, you are the most amazing person I've ever met. You're smart, you're talented, and you're funny, and I've had a crush on you since we were kids."

Cinder laughed nervously. "Kai, I-" But she was cut off by his lips on hers.

She gasped, but didn't pull away. Little fireworks exploded in Kai's head as he did what he had been daydreaming about doing for years.

Her lips were the sweetest thing Kai had ever tasted. They were like a drug, and Kai didn't ever want to stop. Cinder seemed to feel the same way.

Like they were magnets, Kai pulled Cinder closer, wrapping his arm around her waist. Cinder reached up and encircled her arms around his neck. She put one hand in his hair, playing with the bottom strands Kai pulled her in tighter, beginning to feel light headed from no oxygen, but not daring to pull away from Cinder.

Suddenly, there came a loud crashing noise, as the sound of footsteps approached Kai and Cinder. The two broke apart, Kai blushing violently, and Cinder looking sheepishly at the ground.

"Your welcome for capturing the flag," Thorne swaggered towards them. "Also, Kai, Your Majesty, what did I tell you about kissing your niece?"


	11. Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder finds some spare time between abdicating the throne and awaiting her coronation as the empress. Kai helps her to fill the time with some of his favorite books.

Cinder sighed, sinking into the soft cushions of a plush scarlet couch. She had a book in her hand, and was prepared to spend the entire afternoon reading. She had never had time to just pleasure read before, but now that she was no longer Queen on Luna, and not yet Empress of the Eastern Commonwealth, she had a bit of spare time.

It had always been odd for her to just see people sitting around, reading for no other reason than just to read. She had never tried it, only reading important things like the news and important documentaries that nearly put her to sleep.

The Eastern Commonwealth library was ginormous, nearly three times larger than her Throne room back on Luna. It had rows upon rows of books from every time period that Cinder could imagine. Romances, fantasy, history, adventure, classics, mystery, horror. Any book you wanted, you name it and it was there.

Only one problem had presented itself as Cinder had walked through the hundreds of rows of books. She didn't know what she liked to read. She assumed that she wouldn't like romance, she wasn't a romantic person. Fantasy sounded like it could be good, but it was hard to pick one. Historical books made her want to fall asleep just thinking about them. She'd had plenty of adventure to last her a lifetime. All of the other books just blended into the mix of boring, or been there done that.

She didn't know who to ask on what books would be good, so she had just grabbed one from the fantasy section. It was more worn than almost any other book in that section, so Cinder had assumed that it had to be good if someone had worn it out that much.

Suddenly, there was a ping from her port. Cinder reached down and looked at a short message from Kai.

_**Where are you?** _

Cinder smiled, he must have got out of his meeting early. She answered back, telling him where she was. She loved living in the palace, being back home in New Beijing. It was funny, she had been born on Luna, expected to rule it even, but her true home was in the Eastern Commonwealth.

Opening the old hardcover book, Cinder began to read. The book was titled, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It looked like a children's book, but as Cinder read the first few pages, she was immediately intrigued. _Who was Harry Potter? Why were the Dursley's so rude? Why were people walking around in cloaks?_

Cinder began reading faster, becoming more engrossed with the book every word she read. It was almost as if the book were pulling her inside of it, taking her on an adventure with it. She could have sat there and read it all day, learning more about Harry Potter and his mysterious scar.

In fact, Cinder got so drawn into the book that she didn't even notice as Kai walked into the library, only looking up from her book when he sat next to her, wrapping his arm around her. Cinder looked up from the book, startled. Kai laughed and pulled her closer to him, kissing her temple softly. Cinder closed her book, putting in a torn piece of paper to mark her place.

Kai looked down at the book and gasped. "Harry Potter," Kai exclaimed, "is my most favorite book in the whole universe! How did you know?" Kai asked in excitement. Cinder looked down at the worn cover and smiled.

Looking back up at Kai, Cinder tilted her head. "You can read?" She asked in a mocking voice. Kai slapped a hand over his heart and made an offended face. Cinder laughed and leaned into his chest, breathing in his scent. "I didn't know this was your favorite. I've never read it before. I haven't really just read books. I just saw it and decided to read it."

"You've never read Harry Potter before?" Kai asked, sounding horrified. Cinder tilted her face towards his, looking at him and shrugged her shoulders. Kai's eyes widened in shock. "Do you enjoy sinning?" Cinder laughed, but Kai stayed serious.

Kai stood up, grabbing Cinder's hand. "Where are we go-"

"Hush," Kai said, "I am going to educate you." Cinder lifted an eyebrow, but allowed herself to be pulled back into the maze of bookshelves.

They spent hours looking through books, Kai telling her the ones that he liked, or didn't like. He seemed to have read every single book in the library, but seemed to favor the fantasy and adventure. He made a list in his port of all the books she absolutely needed to read, adding hundreds to the list.

Cinder watched as Kai told her about what seemed to be the thousandth book, his eyes lighting up. He seemed to know every character personally, having thousands of fictional friends. She loved the way he talked about the books, with so much passion and love. He was so adorable and dorky, but it made Cinder love him even more.

He looked like a child, full of such joy, as he told her about the miraculous adventure of Percy Jackson, who was the son of some kind of greek God, but Cinder was only half listening. She reached up and wrapped her arms around Kai's neck, making him pause mid-sentence.

"What?" he asked, his eyes bright and full of life. Cinder smiled and ran her fingers through his messy black hair.

"I love you," she said, grinning up at him.

Kai laughed, his eyes sparkling with joy. "I love you too," Kai said. "I love you even more than all of these books combined."

Cinder's eyes widened. "Wow, that's a lot." she whispered, looking into his copper eyes.

Kai smiled impishly. "It's true." he said, and then he leaned down and kissed her.

A smiled broke across Cinder's lips, and the two grinned into the kiss. Cinder ran her finger through Kai's hair, and Kai pulled her closer. She loved Kai, and he loved her. It was as though Cinder were living a magical fantasy, a fairytale where the charming prince falls in love with his opposite. 

After a few moments, the two broke apart, both still smiling. They stood there for a second, just looking into each other's eyes, grinning like lovestruck fools. Kai finally broke the silence, a questioning look on his face.

"So," he said, "which book are you going to read next?"


	12. Dead Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An alternate ending to Winter.

Cinder walked into the Throne room, the smell of blood not completely erased by the cleaner. She had a headache from all of the crying she would have done had she been able to. Her gray skirts swished about her as she moved towards the spot. The spot where it had happened.

Pain ripped at her heart, making her collapse to the floor with sobs. She felt as though the world had ended, and maybe it had. Maybe there was no reason to live anymore. Maybe there had never been a point to begin with.

No, _he_ had been the point. He had wanted to be with her. He had told her his plans for after the war. The plans he had envisioned of the two of them together. The two of them ruling the Eastern Commonwealth side by side. Together for the rest of their lives, but instead, Cinder was alone.

The funeral had been held in the Eastern Commonwealth, though that had been days ago. Cinder still wore the gray color of mourning, unsure whether she would ever be able to stop grieving.

Already there had been petitions to dethrone her, claiming she was more mentally unstable than Princess Winter, unfit to rule a country. Cinder agreed with them. She wasn’t mentally stable at all, breaking down at all hours of the day.

All of her friends had decided to stay at the palace with her for a while, claiming that they were just helping her adjust to her new life as queen. It was thoughtful of them, though Cinder wished that they would go. They were wasting their time. She was broken, and there was no fixing her. She was destroyed, and the only person who knew how to put her back together was gone.

“ _Promise me, promise you’ll wait until the fighting is over. Stay with Iko. I need to go and finish what I started.” Cinder whispered into Kai’s coronation shirt, listening to the sound of his heartbeat._

_Kai smiled, kissing the top of her head, promising that he would stay with Iko and Torrin._

_Cinder looked up at him, noticing her worry reflected at her. “It’s okay, Kai. I’m stonger than her. I need to end this.” Cinder said, reaching up to touch Kai’s face. He nodded, but had tears in his eyes, and Cinder watched as one fell from his eye, rolling down his cheek. She rubbed it away with her thumb, before standing up onto her toes to kiss him._

_The kiss was deep and passionate, the two of them holding on as if their lives depended on it. For a moment, nothing else mattered except for Kai._

_Everything was his scent, his heartbeat, his lips, pressed hotly against hers. For one last moment, everything was Kai._

_They broke apart, and Cinder smiled, trying her best to remain strong. Kai had hugged her again, crushing the breath out of her, telling her to be careful, telling her that he loved her._

_Cinder froze, hardly anyone had ever told her that, and most of them were dead. She didn’t hesitate to say them back to him though, kissing him quickly, before turning and running down the hall, trying to hold everything in._

Cinder gasped, unable to breathe between her sobbing. She crawled to the spot. Looking at the marble where his blood had been. Where he had been stabbed through the heart, killed by Levana.

“I accept,” Cinder said, dazed. She had done it. She had won. Cinder grabbed the gun from Levana, just as the large doors had swung wide. Cinder turned and watched as Kai ran to her.

She smiled, forgetting about Levana, wanting nothing more than to hug Kai, tell him that their dreams could finally come true.

They crashed together in the middle of the room, Cinder throwing herself into Kai’s arms, gun still in hand. She had felt so much joy, her heart overflowing with her victory.

“If you are taking everything I love away from me,” Levana murmured, “then I shall take everything you love as well.”

Cinder broke away from Kai, filled with confusion and suddenly, horror. She turned just in time to see Levana stab the knife through Kai’s heart. She didn’t live another second.

The sound of the gunshot rang through Cinder’s ears as she watched Kai drop to the floor. She fell to the floor beside him, screaming as though she were the one who had been stabbed, not him.

She screamed his name, before letting out a sob of agony. This was her fault. If she hadn’t been so ignorant, so idiotic, he wouldn't be laying on the floor, turning more pale by the second as the blood drained out of him. As his life disappeared like smoke in the wind.

Cinder cradled his head in her lap. He had a soft smile on his face that didn't fit the scene. He was dying, though he was the one who reached up and touched her face. He was the one who told her it was alright. He was the one who told her he loved her, before he closed his beautiful copper eyes and let out his last breath. He was the one who was fine, the one who had died.

Crying had never been something Cinder could do, not since she was a small child. She wished she could cry, she wished she could let it all out in a waterfall of tears, but instead she lay on the floor of her Throne room. The very spot where she had watched the light go out of the love of her life’s eyes.

Cinder curled into herself, wishing it would end. Wishing that knife had taken her instead, wishing Kai had stayed put. He had promised her that he would. Promised that he would wait until she came to get him. Promised he would stay safe.

But Kai was dead, and with him was his promise. Because that's all that it was now, a dead promise.


	13. Turkey Coma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorne reminds the crew of an important American holiday.

"Kai!" Thorne yelled as he came into Kai's study. It was early afternoon, and Kai had been working all afternoon on different ways to integrate lunar cultures into the Commonwealth. They wanted to introduce the people to different aspects and traditions of Luna, and they thought it would be best to start with the fun stuff.

Looking up from his papers, Kai saw a disheveled Thorne standing in the doorway, looking horrified. "Thorne, I'm kind of busy, so unless it's important-"

"Kai!" Thorne yelled, cutting Kai off his spiel. Thorne looked horrified, and suddenly Kai was worried that something had happened. What if Luna was struggling again or had a mass killing, or what if the Grand Minister had been assassinated? What if Cinder had been kidnapped or-

Standing up, Kai grabbed his portscreen and checked his feeds. There was nothing in it. Kai looked back at Thorne, slight irritation in his gaze. "Thorne, what the heck is going on?" Kai asked.

"What is going on? You're asking me that?" Thorne yelled incredulously, "It's the fourth Wednesday of November, Kai! What is going on at your palace?" Kai jumped back as Thorne's voice rose. What was going on at his palace?

Kai thought a moment longer, taking a glance at his portscreen's calendar and observing nothing. "Um, nothing?" Kai asked, unsure what was supposed to be going on, and wondering if he should call Cress down to talk some sense into Thorne.

Cress and Thorne had been staying at the palace to visit and help with the upcoming wedding, though it was still months away. They themselves would probably get engaged soon, and Kai was surprised that Thorne had yet to pop the question.

"Aces, Kai," Thorne mumbled, "are you really this stupid? I am literally about to revoke my blessing upon your marriage with Cinder." Thorne rolled his eyes, eyeing Kai with suspicion, as though he thought he were playing dumb.

It was Kai's turn to roll his eyes. "First of all, we don't want or need your blessing on or marriage, and I have no clue what in the name of the stars you are talking about. It you would care to enlighten me, do so now, before I call palace security to remove the psycho maniac from my private office." Kai stood up and crossed the room. It was almost time for lunch, which meant that Cinder should be back from her meeting.

"Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving, Kai! It's a holiday where you literally put on your eating pants and eat turkey and stuffing and pie! Pie, Kai! Pie!" Thorne yelled, making Kai wish that Thorne had an off button more than ever.

"Holy stars above, Thorne, be quiet!" Kai yelled, instantly feeling like an idiot for telling him to be quiet, by yelling. "Thorne, I've never heard of Thanksgiving, or eating pants. What are you talking about?"

Thorne huffed, putting his hands on his hips sassily. "Kai," Thorne said, raising an eyebrow, "I'm going to introduce you to the best American holiday there is."

***

"What are you wearing?" Cinder asked Kai, as he walking into the room. He was wearing sweats, but they were also stretchy pants at the same time. He had on an XXXL t-shirt, that literally seemed to drown him, and made him look like a child.

Kai put his hands on his hips, striking a pose, "Why, Cinder," he said, rolling the R in her name, "these are my eating pants."

Cinder looked at him as though he had lost his mind. Kai laughed, and sat down next to Cinder on the sofa. She was in Kai's gray sweatshirt, and her baggy cargo pants. She had her hair in a messy ponytail, and even had a signature grease splotch on her face from working on the rampion that afternoon.

"You sound like Thorne," Cinder said rolling her eyes, but she was smiling. "He's been going on and on about Thanksgiving since yesterday. I can't believe you're going along with it." Cinder said, though there was a hint of a laugh in her voice. She found it amusing, even if she was annoyed.

Wrapping his arm around Cinder, Kai leaned his head on top of hers, making her freeze, before she melted into him. "I thought it would be fun to learn about some different traditions. Plus, these pants are really comfortable. I might make them into my everyday uniform."

Cinder laughed and turned her face to look at him. Her eyes were sparkling with happiness, as they had been ever since she had come to live at the palace. She had fit easily, perfectly into life in the Eastern Commonwealth, and she was being accepted more and more. They hardly got any death threats anymore, and there had been less jabs at their relationship as the wedding drew nearer. The people loved Cinder, and not just because she saved them all from her crazy aunt Levana. They loved her for who she was.

Kai smiled at her, loving the way she looked when she laughed. The way her nose crinkled and her eyes glittered, and her smile. Her beautiful smile that made his entire world seem to glow. Stars above, he just loved Cinder.

"What?" Cinder asked, gazing into Kai's eyes. She smiled in mock questioning, her eyes taking on a mischievous twinkle.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" Kai asked, feigning seriousness. Cinder giggled, and grinned.

"Why, I do believe you have," Cinder said, also faking seriousness, and making Kai laugh. Kai felt happy. There was no other word for it.

Leaning down, Kai pressed his lips against Cinder's, they were soft, and warm, tasting slightly of dust and engine grease. Kai smiled into the kiss, and felt Cinder smile back. Kai wished that the moment could have lasted forever.

It didn't. As Thorne chose that moment to start yelling about how he had shoved his hand up a Turkey's butt for them, and needed them to come and appreciate the delicious meal that he claimed to have made.

Laughing together, Cinder and Kai got up, and went to go and eat some turkey.

***

"I am so full!" Kai moaned as he sat down on a couch. He had eaten more food than he could ever remember eating in his entire life. Turkey, yams, green beans, potatoes, pomegranates, jello, stuffing, gravy, rolls, and even some weird cranberry goup that he did not like.

Cinder plopped down next to him, laying her head on his chest. Kai wrapped his arm around her, and pulled a blanket up around her. They picked a movie, and Cress and Thorne came and joined them, sitting on the other sofa.

They watched old net drama's and cuddled on the couch. Cinder eventually fell asleep, and Thorne told Kai that it was due to a Turkey coma. Kai smiled and looked down at Cinder. She looked so peaceful when she slept, and it made her look her age. Being the Queen of Luna had really taken a toll on her, and watching her, so calm, Kai could tell that she was just a regular eighteen year-old.

Kai pulled her closer to him, and Cinder nuzzled her face into his shoulder. Kai had looked up what Thanksgiving actually was, not really believing that it was about turkey and eating pants. It had told him how Thanksgiving was a holiday that came out of gratitude. It was about expressing thanks, and if Kai were grateful for something in his crazy world, it was Cinder.


	14. The Crown Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder and Kai have their first child, the heir to the Commonwealth Throne.

Kai's smile was brighter than the sun as he stared down at the bundle in his arms. The squishy little piece of both him and Cinder. He was more happy than he had ever felt in his entire life, and it was all due to the tiny baby in his arms.

Crown Prince Rikan was a mirror image of Kai as a baby, except for the small tufts of brown hair spiraling out of the top of his head. He was so small and delicate, though he already had the chubby cheeks and thighs of a fat baby.

When Kai had first found out about Cinder's pregnancy, he had been ecstatic, and the feeling had only increased as the due date grew nearer. Cinder had been scared, having no good parents herself, and fearing that she would be a terrible mother, but Kai had assured her that if she could kill her evil aunt, then she could be an amazing parent.

Cinder had laughed and told him that his logic made no sense, but he looked cute when he said it. He had then proceeded to blush, making Cinder giggle even further.

Stars, Kai loved that woman. He had known love, from the example that his parents had set. But watching love, and falling in love were two completely different things.

Kai looked over at Cinder, who was asleep in her bed. It had been a long, hard day, and she was exhausted. Their friends had all come in to visit them in turns, each getting to hold Rikan, and Thorne becoming furious over the fact that they hadn't named it after him.

Rikan stirred in Kai's arms, letting out a small whimper and opening his eyes. So far, he had been a chill baby, though technically he was only eight hours old and it was too early to tell if that was his actual temperament, or if he was just tired.

Kai stood from his chair and began to rock Rikan, humming a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him. Rikan looked up at him, eyes wide. His eyes were Kai's, in both shape in color, but something in them reminded Kai of Cinder. Maybe it was the intelligence hidden in those eyes.

"He seems to have picked a favorite already," Cinder said groggily, startling Kai. Kai looked up at Cinder and smiled. She grinned back, though it was a tired smile.

"Obviously I'm the favorite," Kai said, "he's like a mini me!"

Cinder laughed, and Kai smiled, feeling as though his joy would never go away. He wished that he could freeze the moment forever, and live in the stage of happiness forever.

"You would think that he would look more like me, seeing how _I_ birthed him, but _no_." Cinder huffed teasingly, crossing her arms.

"He may look like me," Kai said, "but I can already tell that he's going to be more like you. He will be an excellent Emperor someday."

Cinder looked up at Kai, and he knew that if she could, she would have tears in her eyes.

Kai looked back down at Rikan and saw him staring wide eyed at him. Kai sighed, a feeling of bitter-sweetness washing through him. They had decided to name their child after Kai's late father, a tribute to the man who had handled two of the most difficult tasks in the world. Being Emperor, and Kai's father.

The name already fit the small child, and Kai was excited to see the child learn and grow to become a leader. He would be just as fine as any before him. Kind, fair, and sassy. The perfect mix for a ruler.

Looking back up, Kai saw that Cinder was already asleep again. He chuckled, and walked back over to the chair by her bed. He remembered another time when she had been asleep in a hospital bed, though that time Kai had been afraid that he would lose her forever.

Though the days of Levana's tyranny were over, the world was still undergoing massive repair from all that Levana and her soldiers had done. Their population was still massively low, though that wasn't too concerning. The world was broken, but it was being fixed by those who still knew and did good.

The Rampion Crew were idols in both Earth and Luna, especially Cinder. There were even action figures for all of them, and toy Rampions. There was still some distrust due to the fact that she was a lunar and a cyborg, though most people loved and respected Cinder now.

Kai started up his lullaby again, sad that he had forgotten the words to the tune and only knew the melody. It was one of the last pieces of his mother that Kai had left, and Kai was sorry that he had forgotten some of it, like how he had forgotten most of his mother. She was just a ghost of a dream now.

Kai wrapped the blanket more securely around Rikan as his eyes began to blink slower and slower, until finally they stayed closed. Winter had knitted the soft blanket for him, and it had small gold crowns across the baby blue background. 

Life was perfect, in that small moment. Kai was happy. He was with Cinder. He had a child. He had friends. Everything was just the way it should be. Kai would never have imagined that this was where his life would be. Not when Levana was terrorizing him, or marrying him, or existing. Kai never thought that he would get to marry for love, and only for advantage, though that had been true. Kai technically had married Levana, though in the end everything worked out in the end.

A smile formed on Kai's face, remembering when he and Cinder had been trying to come up with names for the baby. Cinder had been the one to suggest Rikan, knowing how much it would mean to Kai.

Kai himself, when first faced with the project, had proclaimed, "Rampion!", only for Cinder to scowl at him and mutter something about Thorne.

Rikan suddenly stretched an arm out from his blanket and yawned, his tiny mouth going into a wide O-shape. Kai patted his soft brown hair, still feeling as though he were in a dream, and would suddenly wake up and discover that he was eighteen and about to marry Levana.

But this wasn't a dream, and Kai knew. Kai sighed in contentment, and placed a soft kiss on Rikan's forehead.

Everything was just as it should have been.


	15. Dance Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai gives Cinder those promised dance lessons.

Kai's legs bounced up and down under the desk as he waited for the clock hand to strike noon. He had been waiting for this day for weeks, and the time could not have dragged any slower.

Cinder had agreed to come down to the Commonwealth for the annual peace ball, and was coming a few days early so that he could give her dance lessons. She had sounded less than ecstatic when she had agreed, but Kai was overjoyed.

It wasn't as though the two hadn't talked at all since Kai had left Luna, quite the opposite. They had commed every single day, ranting about how dumb the other political leaders were and how they were glad that Levana was gone, but now Kai was actually going to _see_ her in person.

In a matter of minutes, Kai would be able to hug Cinder, to kiss her and smell her scent again. He felt like an overexcited puppy as he checked the clock every two seconds, until Torin came into his office to tell him to come out and welcome their guests.

Kai tried to keep his composure as he half walked, half jogged down the hallway, and out to the landing pad at the back entrance of the palace. He was slightly disappointed to not see Cinder's ship once he got outside, but nearly squealed from excitement when he saw the shiny iridescent metal of a lunar ship glide onto the landing pad.

For a few minutes Kai waited in quiet anticipation, until the gate to the ship opened, and the love of Kai's life stepped out. Kai didn't even hesitate as he ran forward, and threw his arms around Cinder in the warmest embrace.

Cinder laughed as Kai hugged her, and squeezed the life out of him. They stood there for a long time, just holding each other, breathing each other in, feeling the physical presence of one another. It was one of the greatest moments of Kai's life.

***

"Okay, just step forward with your right foot now," Kai said patiently, and Cinder, looking down at her feet stepped forward with her left foot. "Other right" Kai laughed, earning a scowl from Cinder. They had been practicing for two hours already, and had made hardly any progress. Cinder was not a dancer, but Kai couldn't care less. He loved spending time with her, even if she was swearing at him half of the time.

They were doing a simple waltz. A box step, that Kai thought nobody could mess up. He was wrong. Cinder had said she could look up the steps on her internal computer, but it was clearly not helping, and Kai could tell that Cinder was getting frustrated.

"Maybe we should take a break?" Kai asked, a shy smile on his face. Cinder turned her agitated expression towards him, and broke into a relieved smile and nodded. Kai wrapped his arm around her waist and led her out of the ballroom, making a cheesy joke as they left, earning a laugh and sarcastic comment from Cinder.

The couple walked down the maze of hallways, and down to the kitchen. The palace was bright, and smelled of blossoms, even though it was the end of summer. Kai loved his palace, but being with Cinder made it all the better. He would go anywhere, just as long as he was with her.

"Kai?" Cinder asked, as they sat down at a table, where some of Kai's favorite snacks were layed out.

"Yeah?" Kai asked, grabbing a pudding package.

Cinder bit her lip and looked at the floor. "Do you think it's a good idea for me to go to the ball?" Cinder asked, her eyes worried. "I mean, I would love to go with you, but I'm just so clumsy, and after last year..."

Kai set down his pudding and grabbed Cinder's hand. "Hey," Kai said with a soft smile, "I think it's a great idea, you going to the ball. You are the Queen of Luna for all the stars, and my girlfriend?" Kai asked the last part, looking down, lost for words. Cinder laughed.

"Yeah, Kai, you can call me your girlfriend. If that's what we are." Cinder said, and Kai blushed.

"Whatever we are, it doesn't matter what other people think or want. I want you there, and I will give you as many dance lessons as it takes to get you there." Kai said, and Cinder groaned at the last part.

Kai stood up from his chair, and came over to stand next to Cinder. He bowed down and extended his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked, as Cinder slid her hand into his. She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile playing at her lips that told him she wasn't actually annoyed with him.

Cinder put one hand on his shoulder and Kai put his on her waist. They danced around the dining area, and Cinder stepped on Kai's feet multiple times, but he didn't care. The small gasp that came from Cinder the first time he twirled her, and the laughs after his jokes made him more happy than he could ever express in words.

They danced around for an hour, completely forgetting the time, and sometimes singing songs while they danced, though that was mostly Kai. Eventually he turned on real music from off his port, and a slow song came on.

The two came close together, with Kai's arms around Cinder's waist, and Cinder's arms around Kai's neck. She layed her head down on his chest and closed her eyes as they swayed. Kai rested his face in Cinder's hair, and breathed in her scent, wishing he could freeze this perfect moment forever.

"Cinder?" Kai said, after the song had finished. They stayed wrapped in each other's arms, both not wanting to move.

"Hmm?" Cinder hummed into his chest. Kai wanted to laugh, she was nearly asleep while standing upright.

"I love you," Kai said, earning a shy smile from Cinder.

"I love you too." Cinder said sleepily. Kai felt his face blush, though he was not embarrassed. He stopped their swaying, and Cinder tilted her face up to look at him. He was only a few inches taller than her, but she she still had to look up. Kai leaned down and brushed his lips softly against hers, and felt hers moved against his.

The two kissed for a few seconds, before breaking apart. The duo smiled at each other like kids in love, and they were. They were just two teenagers who happened to rule two countries. Not the most typical circumstances, but the two still loved each other, and in the end, that's all that mattered.


	16. Two People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai comms Cinder on her birthday, after a long, hard day of being the new Queen of Luna.

Cinder sighed heavily as she sunk into her chair. It had been a long and exhausting day, and she felt as if she were drowning from all of her work. She had been Queen for only a couple of months and she already dreamed of going back to her mechanics booth. At least there she had been doing what she loved.

There were so many things that Cinder missed about Earth, about the Commonwealth. But mostly, Cinder just missed Kai. Being without him felt like being without oxygen, and though she was doing fine just on her own, Cinder longed to have Kai guiding her through all the royalty stuff.

"You need to eat before going to bed, Cinder." Iko said, heels clicking on the marble floors as she walked into Cinder's room.

Iko was practically Cinder's caretaker, and though Cinder loved her to death, it was sometimes a bit agitating. Yeah, eating was important, but all Cinder wanted to do was just sleep. She couldn't even remember the last time she had slept more than four hours at a time.

"I'm fine, Iko," Cinder stated, not even trying to hide her exhaustion. Iko moved in front of Cinder, her eyes a solid steel silver for serious. She meant business.

"Just give me ten minutes, Iko, the I promise I'll eat. I just need to... to rest." Cinder closed her eyes, and heard Iko huff as she walked away from Cinder.

Truth was, Cinder had no plans to get off that chair. She just couldn't. It seemed like an impossible feat, and it was only eight. Being Queen was slowly killing her, and she had only been doing it for a couple of months.

Suddenly, Cinder's port rang, startling her from her drowsiness. She moaned, but picked up her port and smiled as she clicked the accept button next to Kai's name.

The next second, Cinder was met by Kai's face, and felt an overwhelming sense of peace wash over her as she looked into his copper eyes. Kai laughed, and Cinder knew that if she could, she would be crying from joy. Everything had been so hard, but just seeing Kai made all of Cinder's doubts and fear wash away.

"Cinder!" Kai exclaimed, his eyes wide and excited. Cinder wished she had as much energy as he did. He was like a puppy on steroids.

"Kai," Cinder sighed, sitting up on her chair, and tightening her ponytail. Nothing, except Kai, could have gotten her to get up from that chair. Nothing, save it for that dorky smile and kind persona that Cinder still couldn't believe loved her.

"I'm sorry that I didn't call this morning!" Kai exclaimed, his voice apologetic. "You must have thought I had forgotten. I'm _so_ sorry!" Kai put his palm to his face, and focused his puppy eyes on Cinder.

Cinder scrunched her face up in confusion. "Forgotten what, Kai" Cinder asked. "Is today a holiday? Oh my stars, what have I forgotten?" Cinder questioned frantically, her brain pulling up nothing but the date. December twenty-first.

"Are you joking with me right now?" Kai asked, raising a sassy eyebrow. Cinder shrugged her shoulder in indignation, and Kai's jaw dropped. "Cinder! It's your birthday!" Kai exclaimed, waving his arms around like a maniac.

That had not been what Cinder was expecting. She was still getting used to not being Lihn Cinder, but Selene Blackburn. And Selene Blackburn's birthday was December twenty-first. It was a struggle being two different people, but it was even harder when they had two different birthdays.

"I forgot," Cinder mumbled, biting her lip. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? I'm the one that should be sorry! I tried to come up and visit you, but Torin said I couldn't." Kai huffed, "I am apparently an important world leader. Would you believe that?"

Cinder laughed, and felt a renewal of energy wash over her. "Really? You don't seem the type," Cinder said sarcastically, drawing a laugh from Kai as well.

Kai's face suddenly went back to serious, and her looked Cinder dead in the eyes. "Did Iko forget your birthday too? That's rather odd, seeing how she's a _computer."_ Kai rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand through his hair.

"How do you do it, Kai?" Cinder asked dully, downcasting her eyes.

"Do what?" Kai questioned, his gaze polite and kind.

Cinder leaned back and exhaled a long, sad breath. "All this royalty crap." Cinder waved her arm around. "How are you able to do this and still be you? And still be happy? I feel as though I'm a shell, and that being Queen had stripped me of everything that made me Lihn Cinder."

There was a pause, and Kai looked away. "I guess Lihn Cinder was never meant to be a Queen." Cinder stated glumly. "It was supposed to be Selene Blackburn. I was supposed to be Selene Blackburn, but I'm not! Or at least, I don't know how to be her. I don't know how to do this, Kai." Cinder whimpered.

"Maybe Lihn Cinder wasn't meant to be Queen. Maybe she was, but Cinder, you're not two people. This isn't your fault." Kai said earnestly. "I do believe that if you had been raised to be a Queen, that you would have been ready. But I also think that you would have been a monster." 

Cinder hiccupped at the last part. "A monster?" Cinder laughed, and Kai blushed.

"Why are we talking about political crap? We need to talk about your birthday!" Kai exclaimed, quickly changing the subject. Cinder laughed, but allowed the all-too-not-subtle change in topic.

The two talked for over an hour, sharing embarrassing stories, and sassy comments. It was odd that the two had only known each other for months, when really it could have been from birth considering the way they talked. They were best friends, two halves, two people in love, and it was near torture when Torin came in to interrupt the conversation. "Duty calls," Kai said, and Cinder felt her heart sink slightly as the two began to say their goodbyes.

"Hey, Cinder?" Kai asked, and Cinder tilted her head in acknowledgement of his question. "I know that Selene Blackburn was meant to be Queen of Luna, and all," Kai broke into a grin. "But I think that Lihn Cinder was meant to be an empress." Kai blushed, and then Cinder's screen went black, and Cinder knew that if she could, she would be blushing too.


	17. Forbidden Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder, a lowly servant enters into a forbidden romance with the crown prince.

The castle was quiet, seeing how it was the dead of night. Cinder had been working all day and her feet ached dreadfully. There was only one thing that Cinder wanted to do that moment, and it was to go to her shared servant's chamber and lay upon her cot stuffed with straw. Nothing sounded better to her in that moment.

Cinder walked through the corridors of the castle, humming lightly to herself. She was bored as heck, and the only thing she had to distract herself with was her tiredness. Cinder tried to be as quiet and graceful as she could, not wanting to wake anyone. There was only one problem: Cinder was not graceful in the slightest.

Seeing how Cinder was a terrible clutz, it was no surprise when she slammed into a very solid force, and fell to the ground. "I'm so sorry," Cinder said, not daring to glance up and see who she had crashed into. She prayed to every star above that it was not a lunar guard. They would surely have her killed in an instant.

A laugh came from above Cinder, and a few seconds later she was being hauled to her feet and into an embrace. "Cinder!" exclaimed as voice that Cinder knew all too well. Cinder melted into the embrace, breathing in the scent of Prince Kaito, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Commonwealth.

"Long time, no see," Kai whispered into Cinder's ear, causing her to laugh. They had seen each other only mere hours before at dinner, though it felt like an eternity. They had not been allowed to talk to each other then though, seeing how Kai was a Prince, betrothed to Queen Levana of Luna, and Cinder was just a servant.

Their very talking to each other could result in Cinder being killed, and possibly ruining the future alliance that the Commonwealth was trying to set up with Luna. It was extremely dangerous for the two to be together, but that had never stopped them.

Everything had started when they were young. About twelve to be precise. Cinder had just come to work at the castle, after being sold like a piece of property to pay off her step family's debt. The same had happened with Cinder's real family, when she had been sold to the Lihn's to pay off their own debt. Cinder had only ever been considered property, nothing more.

It had only been a week since Cinder had come to work at the castle, when she stumbled upon a broken boy in the stables. The boy was crying, and Cinder comforted him. He told her how he was just a piece in a game. How his parents used him for nothing but gain. Cinder had told him her story, and how she understood him, not realizing that he was the Prince, and had just been married off to Queen Levana.

After that first meeting, the two became friends. Eventually Cinder found out that Kai was actually a Prince, and not some random boy, though that did nothing to affect their friendship. They had met once a week for six years ever since that fateful day in the stables, though now the two had become more than friends.

When the pair were sixteen, they expressed their feelings for each other. They loved each other, though their love was illegal. They could never, not in a thousand years, end up together. Kai and Cinder were on opposite levels of the social scale, and their love was more forbidden than almost anything else. That didn't stop them tough.

Cinder tilted her head up, looking into Kai's eyes. She felt more than relief at seeing him, having feared meeting a lunar guard. They were always more than happy to afflict pain on the lower class. Lunar guards were a nightmare for Cinder, especially with the upcoming wedding.

Though the two loved each other with a passion that no other loves could claim, it had done nothing to stop Kai's marriage. The wedding was fast approaching, and Cinder's heart ached at the very thought of Kai being with another girl. They had never told anyone about their love for each other, and now there was nothing they could do. Their love was forbidden after all.

Kai smiled down at Cinder, though the smile held pain. He had looked sick the past few weeks, and Cinder knew it had to do with the wedding. She too had not been able to eat or sleep very well, though she wasn't the one getting married against her wishes.

Standing on tiptoes, Cinder pressed her lips against Kai's. He responded immediately, kissing her with a tenderness that made Cinder melt. They kissed, and kissed, and kissed, though in the end, it wouldn't change anything. They were soulmates, but fate would never allow them to be together. They fit together like puzzle pieces, but they belonged to different puzzles.

"Are you okay?" Cinder asked, breaking the kiss. She wondered why she asked the question, seeing how she already knew the answer. She knew that Kai, like herself, was not okay. There was no way on Earth or Luna that either would be okay without the other, and it seemed that they would never get to be okay.

Kai didn't respond, but instead buried his head in Cinder's shoulder. He began to shake, and Cinder felt his tears stain the shoulder of her pressed uniform. Sobs full of so much heartbreak came from Kai, and Cinder hugged him as tight as she could, feeling tears of her own sting her eyes.

"I know," Cinder whispered, and she did. She knew exactly how he felt. It felt like being tossed around in ocean waves. It was drowning, only getting brief gasps of air before being thrown back into peril. It was knowing that eventually you wouldn't be able to break the surface. It was knowing that in the end, you would drown, and Cinder was so terribly close to drowning.

"It feels like I'm dying, Cinder." Kai mumbled, lifting his tear streaked face from Cinder's shoulder and gazing into her brown eyes. "It feels like I can't breathe. It feels like the world is literally going to end, and I can't do anything about it!"

Cinder nodded, looked down. She knew what he meant. Kai was her best friend. He was also the love of her life. He was the only thing she had left for her, and in three days he would be married.

"I'm so sorry," Kai sobbed, pulling Cinder into his chest. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry. I should have tried. I-I-" Kai broke off, her crying becoming uncontrollable.

"Shh," Cinder hummed, her small frame shaking. Thoughts of what could have been flooding through her head.

They had once talked about running away together, or even trying to come clean to Kai's parents. They had thought through every option, but deep down, they had always known; a love like theirs was never meant to be.

Standing there, in the dark corridor in the middle of the night, Cinder thought back on every memory. She loved Kai more than anything else in her world. She loved him more than words could describe. She was in love with him, but they wouldn't get a happily ever after. She would give anything to be with him, but fate wasn't taking offers.

Suddenly, a voice boomed out from the shadows, causing the couple to break apart. "Well, what do we have here _Prince Kaito?_ " The voice sneered, and Cinder felt a sick. She knew that voice, and she also knew something else: they had been caught.

"Levana," Kai started, but Levana threw her hand up to silence him.

"Save it." She hissed, before flicking her hand towards Cinder. "Seize the girl."

Panic flooded through Cinder, and Kai let out a yell as the lunar guards grabbed Cinder by the arms and began to drag her away. Cinder kicked, thrashing and pulling as hard as she could, but to no avail. Kai rushed at them, trying to pull them off of her, but he couldn't save her. They had her trapped.

" _Please_ ," Kai begged. His eyes were wide and horrified. He looked as though his life had just been ripped from him, and in a way, it had.

Levana laughed, and Kai flinched. "You think that I'm going to let this- this _servant_ get away with stealing my betrothed?" Levana sneered, "I am not a forgiving person. I do not let people get away with _treason._ "

Cinder stopped fighting, knowing it was no use. She looked at Kai, and a single tear slipped from her eyes. She nodded to him, trying to communicate that it was alright. She tried to not show how terrified she was, knowing that what was about to happen would haunt him forever.

Kai shook his head, a sob breaking his pleading. "It's okay," Cinder whispered, putting her head down, before looking back up at Kai. "It's okay."

Cruel laughter broke the lover's stare, and Levana smirked down at them. "I do not like people who break rules, Kaito. Hopefully this will teach you something." Levana looked at the guards and nodded her head. "Kill the girl."

Kai screamed, trying to reach Cinder, but a guard grabbed him. Cinder shook her head, trying to come up with a solution, but there were none.

A guard pressed a gun barrel against Cinder's head. She wished that Kai didn't have to see it. She wished that she could say a proper goodbye to him. Cinder wished a thousand things in that moment, though none of them would help her.

Cinder weeped, and in her final attempt called out to Kai. "I love you," Cinder whispered, her voice breaking. "I love you, Kai."

Kai shook his head, and a terrible whimper escaped his mouth. He was broken, and it was all because of Cinder.

It was odd how life could go from peaceful to chaotic in just moments. It was crazy how one could be happy to broken in a total of minutes. Life was awful, and then you died. It was how the world worked. The universe would smile upon the fortunate, and throw rocks at others. _Nothing_ was ever fair.

The forbidden love that had sprung six years earlier between a Prince and a servant was cruel, but it had happened. Sometimes the it just wasn't meant to be.

So when the Queen nodded, and the guard began to squeeze the trigger, Cinder knew. She knew that this was her fate. She knew that she wouldn't get a happily ever after. She knew that she wasn't meant to love Kai, but she had. She had loved him too much, and it cost her her life.

Their love was something that people would write poems about. It was a dream turned into a nightmare. It was the reincarnation of Romeo and Juliet. It was a terrible end to a beautiful story. It was love in the purest meaning of the word, but in the end, it was forbidden.

It was forbidden love from the start to finish. It was forbidden love from the first meeting to the final kiss.

It was forbidden love when the gun went off with a bang, and Cinder collapsed to the floor, dead. 


	18. Hot Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai gets his wisdom teeth out and behaves rather amusingly.

Cinder sat in the clean white hall of the clinic, tapping her foot restlessly. She had been sitting there for a little over an hour, but Kai had still yet to come out of the pristine white doors. She didn't quite know what to expect, though the doctors had told her that it would only take about an hour.

Apparently getting your wisdom teeth out was pretty rough, but Cinder wouldn't know. She didn't have any of them. Kai, on the other hand, had all four.

The Palace had an array of Doctors, though none of them had ever removed wisdom teeth. So Kai had had to come to a regular place, just like everyone else. It wasn't like they cared. It was actually kind of fun to do something "normal" for once, even if it was having four large teeth pulled from your mouth and getting heavily drugged.

After a few more minutes, the doors finally opened and a Nurse came out to tell Cinder that Kai was done with the surgery. She stood up and followed the Nurse, tightening her ponytail as she did so. It was nice to have her hair up again, and to be dressed in a sweatshirt and cargo pants. Yet another reason that Cinder was kind of glad that Kai had four extra teeth to be yanked out.

The Nurse, Sam, led Cinder into a small room where a familiar figure laid back in a chair. His hair was an ebony black mess, and his mouth was open and filled with gauze. Cinder smiled down at Kai, and sat down in the chair next to him.

Cinder took Kai's hand with her human one, and rubbed her thumb across the back of it. Kai (though Cinder would never admit it) looked adorable. With his huge chipmunk cheeks, totally loopy sleeping expression, he was pretty cute.

"He should wake up any minute now," Sam said, making Cinder jump. She had forgotten that the Nurse was there. "I'm going to go get the wheelchair."

Cinder nodded, throwing the Nurse a thoughtful glance, before turning her gaze back to Kai. He had started mumbling, though Cinder would never know what he was saying between all the gauze in his mouth.

Kai's eyelashes began to flutter, and Cinder whispered his name. Copper met chocolate, and Cinder smiled down at her chipmunk. "How you doing sleeping beauty?" She asked, trying to conceal a laugh.

Kai looked up at Cinder, and she couldn't help but chuckle as he sat there rubbing his mouth. "Thinder," Kai said, his words slurred. "I han't- I han't eel my mouf."

Cinder laughed, but smiled kindly down at the love of her life. "Kai, they gave you drugs to numb your mouth. You got your wisdom teeth taken out."

He stared dumbly up at Cinder, and she shook her head. He was beginning to look like a lost puppy with his big eyes, though his mouth was still agape, and his gauze was beginning to fall out.

"Wai, air an I?" Kai asked, and he scruched up his face in scrutiny of the place. "Thinder, I hink- I hink we're lost."

Kai tried to sit up, but Cinder shoved him back down. He stared up at her with a hurt expression on his face, and a bloody piece of gauze fell out of his mouth. Kai looked down at it, horrified and Cinder giggled. She picked it up and opened his mouth with her fingers, shoving it back against the bleeding holes in his mouth.

"Thinder," Kai said, tears forming in his eyes, "are- are I ums halling out?" He lifted his hand up to his mouth, and the most heartbreaking sobs came out. He looked so sad that Cinder couldn't decide whether she wanted to hug him or laugh at him.

"It's okay," Cinder said soothingly, brushing a stray piece of hair from Kai's eyes. "Your gums aren't falling out, it's just gauze. They took your wisdom teeth out and your mouth is bleeding."

Cinder had said the words in an effort to comfort Kai, though his face only became more distraught. "Ey hook I isdom heeth?" Kai whispered, and he began crying again. Big tears rolled down his cheeks, and Cinder wiped them away with her hand. "Thinder," Kai sobbed. "Hi you wet em do at? I on't be ise anyore!" Kai sobbed, and threw his face into Cinder's shoulder.

"No, no, no," Cinder said, stroking Kai's hair. "Kai, the teeth don't make you wise, your brain does! You'll still be plenty wise."

Kai stopped his sobbing and looked Cinder in the eye as if he had been struck. "Ey hook I ain?" Kai whimpered, covering his mouth with his hand and throwing a betrayed look at Cinder. "Thinder," Kai said, "I idn't ew hop em?"

Cinder bit down on her lip, trying to repress a laugh. It was a good thing Kai wasn't always on drugs, he was a hot mess. "Kai," Cinder spoke softly. "They didn't take your brain. I would never let them do that. You're just confused because of the drugs they gave you."

That was definitely the wrong thing to say, seeing how the next moment Kai looked scandalized and he put both of his hands on his chest. "Ey ave e rugs? Thinder!" Kai cried, throwing himself back into Cinder's arms and covering her in drool and blood.

She rolled her eyes, but embraced him tightly as he sobbed. The Rampion Crew had all placed bets on what kind of person Kai would be on drugs. Thorne, Scarlet and Iko had all thought that he would be angry and cuss a lot. Cinder and Winter had both guessed on him being giggly and skipping around everywhere. Wolf and Cress had both thought that he would be normal, maybe just a little childish. Jacin had been the only one to guess that he would be a crier. It looked like Jacin would be receiving a couple univs.

Cinder patted Kai on the back of the head as he covered her in blood, slobber, and tears. "They weren't bad drugs, Kai." Cinder sighed. "They only made it so you wouldn't hurt so much. They just wanted you to be comfortable."

"I om ol me ot oo do rugs, Thinder!" Kai exclaimed into her shirt, a fresh wave of tears flowing from his eyes. "Ou're a ad infuence on e." Kai whispered, though he hugged her tighter.

Cinder giggled, pulling away from Kai to cup his swollen face with her hands. "All mothers tell their kids not to do drugs, Kai. But I will not deny that I probably am a bad influence on you."

Kai tried to smile at her, though he only succeeded in covering his hoodie in saliva. He moved his face towards her and pressed his forehead against hers. She grinned at him, and pressed a kiss to his puffy cheek.

 _My stars_ , Cinder thought, _he's cute even when he looks like a chipmunk with too many acorns in his mouth._

"I ove ew Thinder," Kai murmuered. Cinder smiled, and knew that if she could, she would be blushing.

"I love you too, Kai." Cinder said and he drooled onto her lap in his attempt to smile. She didn't mind in the slightest.

"We have the wheelchair ready," Sam said cheerily, walking back into the room. Cinder jumped, and Kai's mouth dropped open, letting all of his gauze fall out.

Cinder picked up the bloody gauze off of her lap and threw it in the trash. If it were anyone else's she would be grossed out, but somehow with Kai it seemed normal. She was fine taking care of him.

"Thank you," Cinder said to the Nurse, smiling and pushing fresh gauze into Kai's mouth. "Let's stand up now," Cinder whispered kindly to Kai, trying to get him to move from the medical chair and into the wheelchair.

Kai was not having it though, and was staring at the trash can where Cinder had thrown the bloody gauze. "I ums, Thinder. I id ew frow a-ay I ums?" Kai whispered, his voice full of betrayal again.

Cinder shook her head and laughed. She just hoped that Kai would never have to be on drugs again, because he was one hot mess.


	19. Losing Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another alternate ending to Winter (though with less death than the other two).

Words swirled around Selene like smoke as she lay on her bed. Everything was dark, and she felt a throbbing pain within her chest, as though she had been stabbed. The world was confusion, and Selene didn't know where she was, or where the fire had gone.

The last memory Selene had of being conscious was the fire. Everything had been set ablaze, and the world had fallen to cinders and ashes all around her. It had been a living nightmare.

Another mystery set in, as Selene noticed her body, realizing how big it was and how much faster her brain was. She felt older than three. She knew things, but she didn't know how she knew them. She knew what the word vehemence meant, even though she was positive she had no clue the last time she had been awake.

Needing to know what was going on Selene opened her eyes slowly and everything seemed to crash about her. The room was bright, and she squinted as the lights hurt her eyes. Someone let out a loud cry, and Selene shot up, before pressing her hand to her chest in pain. It felt as though something had popped, and Selene didn't want to find out what it was.

A hand presses over Selene's and helped guide her back down onto the pillows. She looked up at the person and saw a boy with messy black hair and worried copper eyes. He was handsome, though his hair was in need of a cut, and his eyes were shadowed from many sleepless nights. He seemed familiar, though Selene knew that she had _never_ met this boy before.

Suddenly, a spurt of data began to scroll across her vision in bright green text.

**EMPEROR KAITO OF THE EASTERN COMMONWEALTH**

**ID #0092719057**

**BORN 7 APR 108 T.E.**

**FF 107,448 MEDIA HITS, REVERSE CHRON**

**POSTED 13 NOV T.E.: IN A STATEMENT RELEASED THIS MORNING, EMPEROR KAITO INFORMED THE PRESS THAT HE HAS DELAYED HIS RETURN TO EARTH FOR AN INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF TIME, STATING THAT HIS PRESENCE IS NECESSARY AT THIS TIME TO OVERSEE THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LUNAR CAPITAL-**

Selene blinked, and the text disappeared. She looked at the boy and realized that he was saying something to her, trying to hand her a glass of water. She took it warily, though drank it greedily as her parched throat ached with how dry it was.

Once she was done, Selene handed the glass back to the boy who set it down on the table beside her. He looked at her with an expression that Selene had never seen before. He looked at her with relief and joy and... love. He looked as if _she_ were the love of his life.

Many questions swirled around Selene's brain, and she couldn't decide which was the most important.

 _Where was she?_ The room looked like a hospital, though Selene wanted to know how she got there.

 _Who was this boy?_ The green text had told her that he was Emperor Kaito of the Eastern Commonwealth, though lat Selene could remember Rikan was the Emperor, and this boy seemed too young to be the ruler of any country.

 _How old was she?_ Her body was big, and looking at herself she would guess that she was only a few years younger than her Aunt Levana. Well, a few years younger than when she last remembered her anyways.

 _Where was her Aunt?_ She wasn't here.

 _Where was Winter?_ She also wasn't there.

 _What the heck was going on?_ Selene didn't know if she would ever understand that.

Selene looked at the boy, and he stared at her as though she was the only thing that could save his soul. He looked like the pictures she had seen of Rikan, though quite a few years younger, and much more tired. Not being able to stand it any longer, she asked, "Who are you?"

A bewildered smile took over his features, and he grasped Selene's cold hand. His fingers were warm, and her hand fit into his as though they were two pieces of the same puzzle. A shiver went down her spine, and she pulled her hand away from the boy.

Hurt flashed across the boy's face, and Selene realized that he wasn't a boy, but a man. He had to be at least eighteen, though the look on his face made him look younger, innocent. He looked scared, and Selene felt a strong incline to protect him.

"Cinder," the boy said, and Selene looked behind her to see if another person was there. No one was. He must have had the wrong girl. That would make a lot more sense.

The boy lifted his hand to her face, and cupped her chin. He turned her head so that her eyes looked into his, and they held a silent plea. Selene lifted her hand and pushed his away from her face, only she didn't feel his skin this time as she grabbed him.

Dread filled Selene's chest as she stared down at her left hand, or at least what used to be her left hand. It was gone, and in its place was a piece of metal.

A whimper escaped Selene's throat, and the boy stared at her, horror written across his features. "Cinder," the boy said again. "Do you... Do you really not remember me?"

Selene slowly moved her gaze from her metal hand to his eyes and shook her head. He covered his mouth with his hand and Selene watched as a single tear slipped from his tired eyes.

"Do you remember you name?" The boy asked, his voice shaking. Selene nodded, and she realized that she was holding her breath. She was scared to tell him that she wasn't his Cinder. She was Selene Blackburn.

"Selene. My name is Selene Blackburn."

Pain contorted the boy's face, and he let out a sob of anguish. He tucked his face into his hands, and he seemed to be whispering something into them. "I lost her, I lost her, I lost her."

Selene stared at the boy, and felt a sadness that she didn't understand. She felt as if she had lost something too, though she couldn't quite figure out what it was. She felt it all, as if it were a knife being stabbed into her chest.

The boy pulled a portscreen from his belt, and Selene stared at it in wonder. They were rare on Luna, and she had only ever seen one once before.

A voice began to speak from within the portscreen, though Selene didn't recognize it. The voice was of an older man, and he seemed to be explaining everything to the boy in a calm, collective matter. It was almost as if the man knew something painful, and he didn't want to tell it to the boy."

"...Dr. Nandez accidentally erased her memory chip and she doesn't know how to fix it. I'm so sorry, Your Majesty. I should have told you, but I knew it would break your heart."

"No," The boy whispered, and more tears leaked from his eyes. "Torin, I can't lose her. They have to be able to do something." The boy let out a moan. " _Please._ "

The older man, Torin, let out a sigh. "They're going to try a few things, Kai. The doctor's think that even though her memories were compiled on the chip that her brain will still have them as well. They believe that it is just a matter of re-jogging her memories."

Kai nodded, and turned off his portscreen without a goodbye to the man. He replaced his face back in his hands, and his entire body shook with grief. It was terrible to watch, and Selene was almost ready to hug him.

"What happened?" Selene asked, her voice a low rasp. Kai jumped, uncovering his eyes and wiping them with the back of his hand. They were the color of copper, and Selene felt an itching at the back of her brain. _She knew those eyes._

"You were stabbed," Kai said, his voice low, though there was still a quiver to it. "The doctor's, they- they decided to fix some of your hardware after the damage it took from when you jumped into Artemisia Lake. Apparently one of them..." Kai cleared his throat as his voice flooded with emotion. "One of them messed up, erased your memory chip."

Selene stared at Kai and felt a sadness that yet again, she didn't understand. It felt as if her past affection for this boy were trying to come through. It was like having all of her senses and compassion, just not the memories that went with them.

"Where's Winter?" Selene asked, and Kai shook his head. Selene felt dread go through her and she tried to sit up again, before a slicing pain made her cry out and she fell back against the pillows. "Why does my chest hurt so bad?"

Kai seemed as though he were trying to decide whether he wanted to laugh, or cry. Instead, he sighed and looked down at his hands. He was digging his nails into his palms, and Selene was worried that he was going to hurt himself. "Don't do that," She whispered, reaching for one of his hands and holding it in her still human one.

He seemed to relax at her touch, and he grabbed her metal hand with his unoccupied one. He stared into her eyes, and the copper shown bright with resolve. "Cin- Selene," Kai said, "I'm going to tell you a story."

Selene tilted her head to the side, confused as to why he would consider this a good time to tell her a bedtime story. "What story?"

A sigh, and then: "The story of Lihn Cinder, also known as Selene Blackburn."

***

When Kai finished telling Selene his story, everything still didn't make sense. She didn't remember living on Earth and having a family. She didn't remember going to the ball and getting arrested by her crazy Aunt. She didn't remember escaping the Eastern Commonwealth with a criminal named Carswell Thorne. She didn't remember becoming a revolutionary, or kidnapping Kai, or killing Queen Levana. She couldn't remember anything since the day of the fire.

The worst part of the entire thing wasn't the fact that she couldn't remember a single piece of information from Kai's story. No, it was the look in his eyes. It was the hope that telling her everything that she had done would make her remember it.

It was terrible, because Selene knew that she wouldn't remember it. Whoever Lihn Cinder was, _she was gone_.

***

The day had been exhausting. Not only was Selene still recovering from a literal knife to the heart, but she had had to talk to too many people.

First it had been the Doctors. They had explained to her what was wrong, and why she wasn't able to remember anything since the day of the fire. Apparently since she had become a cyborg her brain had been re-routed so that all of her memories would be stored onto a chip, instead of in her brain. They told her that they believe that the memories were still there, but that they had to be brought up by a strong memory. That was when the second round of people had come into place.

Whoever she had been as Lihn Cinder, she sure had kept odd friends. An array of people came to see her. The first had been Carswell Thorne, a man she had escaped prison with. He called her a _cuddly cyborg_ , and insisted on her calling him Captain, though her brain interface informed her that he was, in fact, a cadet.

The next had been a couple. Scarlet Benoit and Ze've (Wolf) Kesley. They were an odd pair with the girl short and curvy with crazy red curls. The man was ginormous and resembled a wolf. Selene could see why that was his nickname. They told her stories of how she had helped both of them, and even shot Wolf in an attempt to save Scarlet from him once.

Her final visitor had been an android. Her name was Iko, and she claimed to have known Selene since she had first moved to the Commonwealth. She tried everything, even telling stories of a girl named Peony, though Selene had no recollections of any girl by that name.

Kai had never left her side, though he had stopped speaking. All he did was stare at her, a lost look in his eyes. His gaze seemed more heartbroken every time Selene looked at him, and she wished more than ever that she could just remember them all.

It was late at night, and Selene's eyes dragged down. She wanted to sleep after the long day of trying to bring back her memories, but every time she closed her eyes she remembered the fire that had nearly killed her thirteen years before.

Every time she dozed off, the fire seemed to surround her, smoke filling her lungs and her eyes blinded by red and orange. She would yell and whimper, though it did nothing to ease one of the only memories that she had left to her.

Kai was beside her every time, holding her hand and whispering comforting words, before he would remember that she didn't know him and let go of her hand. She wished that he wouldn't. He was one of the only things that she trusted, even if she couldn't remember him.

"You know that you don't have to stay beside me every second of the day." Selene said to Kai as he stared numbly at the floor.

He looked at her, and his eyes held the pain of a thousand years of suffering. "Do you want me to go?"

"No."

Kai sighed and reached for her hand. She didn't pull away. Instead, she squeezed it tightly, letting him know that she wanted him there. She _needed_ him to stay with her.

He squeezed back, and Selene let out an exhale of breath. "Can I ask something crazy?" Kai asked, and when Selene looked at him, she saw the pleading in his eyes. She nodded her head in ascent.

"Can I kiss you?" Kai murmured, almost so quietly that Selene couldn't hear. She contemplated the question. She had never kissed anyone, or at least as far as she remembered. Both Thorne and Iko had wasted no time in telling her that she had kissed Kai before, though she couldn't recall it. She couldn't see any harm in kissing Kai. In fact, she almost wanted to.

"Yes," Selene whispered, and her heart began to race as Kai moved closer to her.

He moved to the he was sitting on the bed. He cupped her chin gently, as though she were a piece of china that he was afraid to break. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers so softly that Selene questioned if they had actually touched.

A burning sensation took over Selene's body and she leaned her face closer to Kai's, deepening the kiss. She reached her hand up and put it at the base of his neck, curling her fingers into his soft black hair. She pulled him closer to her, and he placed his other hand on her face to steady himself.

The kiss seemed to last forever, and Selene never wanted it to end. She thought back to the first time she had _really_ kissed Kai back on the Rampion. She had just told him that she was Selene and-

 _Cinder_ broke away from Kai, a yelp escaping her lips. Kai looked bashful, and made to move away from her, but she grasped his hands and help them as tightly as she could.

Everything flooded back to her in a rush, the dam in her brain had finally broken, and Cinder remembered every bit of it. All of the heartbreak, the joy, the pain, and the love. She remembered it all.

Memories of a gray hoodie with messy black hair and copper eyes. Peony with blue tipped fingers. The Rampion with the naked lady on it. Wolf about to eat Scarlet. Scarlet turning into Jacin. Cress coming back with a blind Thorne. Iko with her new body. Kai yelling at her for kidnapping him. Kai kissing her. Levana, and her glamour. Levana and her burn scars. Worried copper eyes staring at her in horror as she lay dying on the Throne room floor.

"Wire cutters," Cinder whispered.

Kai stared at her, a look that held so much confusion, until it dawned on him. "Cinder..."

She looked at him, and smiled. She laughed, and then let out a sob of relief and knew that if she could, she would be crying.

Kai laughed hysterically, throwing his arms around Cinder, before she yelped in pain and he let go. "Sorry," He said, his voice still filled with joy. "I didn't mean to-"

Cinder kissed him again, and he responded immediately. It was a kiss that held everything that words couldn't. It held the sorrow, the joy, the heartbreak, and the love. It conveyed everything that the two of them had been too afraid to say before, and in other words, it was perfect.

After a few moments, the two broke apart gasping for air. "Don't you ever leave me again." Kai whispered, his forehead pressed against hers and his breath tickling her mouth.

Cinder thought about all the pain he must have experience within the past few days. It must have been a living Hell waiting for Cinder to wake up, not knowing if she would live. The agony of her waking up and not remembering him would have been unbearable.

Everything was worth it in the end though, and Cinder smiled as she looked up into the eyes that she so adored. The face that made her smile no matter what. The only person who made her feel at home.

"I promise."


	20. It's Not Real

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai and Cinder watch a movie together, but Cinder falls asleep and has a nightmare.

"So, what drama do you want to watch?" Kai asked, turning to Cinder as he turned on the net screen. It was a Saturday, and Kai reserved Saturday afternoons for himself. On this particular day, Cinder had come to visit, seeing how they were so close to their wedding. So I guess you could say he reserved his day for her.

He had asked her if she wanted to do anything, like go to the gardens and have a picnic, or travel down to the market. She rejected all of his ideas and told him that she was intent on staying at the palace and cuddling on the couch. Kai didn't have any complaints to that.

Cinder huffed, and looked at the dozens of channels as she pulled her blanket around her like a sort of cape. "Uh... how about that one where they're trying to figure out who the murderer is. That one looked interesting."

Kai laughed, and nudged Cinder with his shoulder. "You're describing about twenty percent of the shows on here!"

A bashful look came over Cinder's face and she retorted, "Well, I'm sorry that I've been busy running the moon while-" Cinder yawned, "-you've been watching net dramas on your butt all day."

Kai glared at her, though smiled as she snuggled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder and tucking her arms around his waist. "I'll pick one then," Kai grumbled, though he still had a goofy grin on his face, and he wrapped his arm around Cinder's shoulders.

The show he picked was about a murderer, though there was more romance to it than dying. He had already seen all five seasons of it with Iko (when they had binged then all in three days), but loved the way it made his stomach jump with butterflies. It was so intricate and detailed, keeping you on the edge of your seat. It was a huge ball of excitement and nervousness, and-

Cinder was out cold.

Rolling his eyes, Kai wondered how someone could fall asleep during so much drama and adventure. Maybe she had already had enough for her lifetime.

He pulled up the blanket and tucked it up around her shoulders, brushing her hair out of her face as he did so. She looked so calm when she was asleep. She looked like she could actually be an eighteen-year-old girl instead of the much older person that life as a Queen had forced her to be.

She suddenly squeezed Kai tightly, and he froze, worrying that he had woke her. She didn't open her eyes though, and Kai hugged her back. He looked down at her, checking to see if she was okay, but her face still remained a mask of calm and relaxation.

Kai looked back up, watching as the characters found a gun in the back of a car. They suspected the woman of possibly being the murderer, though Kai knew that she wasn't. The killer was in fact-

Cinder squeezed Kai tightly again, and Kai gazed down at her. Though her eyes were still closed, Cinder's brow was furrowed. There was no calm left to her face, but pure terror.

Worry poked at Kai's mind. _What if she was having a nightmare?_ He knew that she had them, and quite often from what Iko would tell him, but he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. Did he wake her up, or just hold her until it was all over?

 _Maybe she usually hugs pillows in her sleep?_ Kai's brain suggested. _Maybe the look of pain on her face is just an itch, or-_

Cinder let out a whimper and hugged him tighter than she had before. She buried her face into Kai's shirt, and began whispering something that Kai couldn't hear.

That was enough to make him worry.

"Hey," Kai said soothingly, "Cinder, Cinder it's not real. It's just a dream."

The response to this was a moan, followed by Cinder weaving her fingers tightly into his shirt. He stroked her hair softly, cupping the back of her head with his hand and holding it to his chest. "It's not real," He whispered. "It's not real. It's not real."

A sob escaped Cinder's mouth, and Kai froze. She seemed to be whispering the word "no" over and over again, and her whimpers only increased.

Kai turned off the drama, worried that the intense music wasn't helping Cinder's condition. "Cinder," Kai said loud, but kindly in her ear. "Wake up."

Another whimper, and Cinder's small frame began to shake. Her tan skin was pale, and her breathing was coming out in harsh rasps. Everything about her portrayed fear, and Kai only wanted her to wake up, except...

She _wasn't_ waking up.

"Cinder," Kai jostled her shoulder urgently. She screamed, digging her nails into Kai as he tried to shake her awake. "Cinder, please wake up. You're scaring me." Kai said frantically.

"No, no, no," Cinder whispered. "NO!" Cinder yelled, and then her eyes snapped open. They were large and frightful, more fear filled them than Kai had ever seen there before. She was shaking horribly, and Kai was almost worried that she was having a seizure.

Kai let out a shaky breath, and he clutched Cinder to him as though he were afraid she might disappear. "It's not real, Cinder." Kai whispered. "It was just a dream."

Another sob escaped Cinder, although Kai couldn't tell if it was from relief, terror, or sadness. Maybe a little bit of all of them. Cinder clutched Kai, and breathed in a shaky breath before looking up at him.

A tear splashed down her face, which surprised Kai. She couldn't cry. It wasn't until Cinder reached up and brushed her human thumb across his cheeks that he noticed that _he_ was the one who had been crying.

"I'm okay," Cinder mumbed, taking in Kai's distraught face, taken aback by the tears that laid there. "Are you okay?" She asked, her scared face taking on a look of concern.

Kai laughed, but it held more hysteria than anything else. "Am _I_ alright?" Kai asked almost indignantly. "Do you normally have dreams like that? I thought that you were never going to wake up again! You were in so much pain, and..." Kai trailed off, trying to gain his composure. "Do you always have dreams like that?"

_Silence._

"Cinder," Kai moaned, "why didn't you tell me about them. Why didn't you-"

"Tell you that I have nightmares?" Cinder mumbled, though it was defiantly. "I'm not a child, Kai. I can take care of myself. They're not real, and I'm fine." Cinder began to stand up from the couch, clearly agitated, but there was still a tremor in her hands.

Kai grabbed her hand, stopping her from leaving him. "Don't do that." Kai said, his voice hard, but not cold."

"Do what?"

"Pretend like you're okay when you're clearly not!" Kai wanted to yell, but he kept his voice low and even. "Cinder, I... I was so scared. I thought you were in pain, or worse. I thought..."

"Thought what?" Cinder asked, her face a mask of calm.

Kai sighed a shaky breath. "I didn't think that you would wake up. I couldn't get you to and- stars, I was so worried."

"I'm sorry," Cinder muttered, and she looked almost guilty.

"Don't do that either!" Kai rubbed a hand through his hair, his other arm still wrapped protectively around Cinder. "It's not your fault that you have nightmares. It's not your fault that I got scared. None of this is your fault. I-" Kai paused, "I just wish that you told me. I wish that I knew. I wish that I could have helped you better."

Cinder nodded, and breathed in deeply. "I love you."

Kai almost started crying again, and he kissed the top of Cinder's head. He held her so tight that one might wonder if she could even breathe. He breathed in her scent of flowers and engine grease.

He felt everything that was Cinder, and promised that he would _never_ let anything happen to her again. He would comfort her through every dream. He would simply be there for her.

"I love you too."


	21. The Heartstopper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder has a bit of a crush on the most popular boy at her high school... and maybe he feels something too.

The end of the world was supposed to be a terrible thing, but for Cinder it was beautiful. It was the color of copper that you could never seem to look away from. Feathers of black in a messy mop. A heartstopping smile that appeared to glitter.

Kaito Prince was the boy that every girl dreamed of, though he never seemed to want any of them. He was top of every class, the most popular kid in the entire school. He was the kind of boy who- however nice he was- would _never_ stop and consider a girl like Cinder.

Maybe it was the way he talked; slow, yet firm and with a sense of humor. Maybe it was his smile; bright as the sun and never spread thin. Maybe it was his unconditional kindness that he shared with every person he came across.

Talk of Kai and how great he was was entirely endless. Every girl was slightly in love with Kai, and some were even in fanclubs of his. Cinder was supposedly one of the only survivors of his charm, though secretly she was just as taken by him as the rest of them.

It was something about his eyes that made it so impossible for Cinder to breathe. She never dared to look at them, because every time she did she felt her heart literally stop. She was scared to stare into his eyes for fear that she may never be able to look away,

Cinder was the quiet girl, the one who no one ever really saw. She was smart and sassy, though kept mostly to herself. Her only friend was Carswell Thorne who was known as the biggest flirt in the entire school, though still loved by nearly everybody (according to him).

The end of the semester was fast approaching, and Cinder was trying her hardest to avoid Kai. She talked to him pretty regularly (him being good friends with Thorne) and she was beginning to wonder how much longer she would last until she confessed her feelings for him.

On this particular day, Cinder was trying her best to avoid any eye contact with the heartstopper when the teacher asked the students to pair up. It was generally a hard thing for Cinder, not having Thorne in the class with her and no one else that she felt comfortable asking to be her partner.

Cinder stood in the corner of the biology classroom, staring at the floor. She was generally very good at going unnoticed, but it seemed that her luck had finally run out.

A hand tapped Cinder on the shoulder, and she turned to stare into those paralyzing copper eyes. She immediately looked down, not wanting to get lost inside of them and make herself out to be the fool she was.

“Want to be my partner?” Kai asked innocently, gesturing to his worksheet. Cinder felt her mouth go dry, her tongue twisting into knots. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She settled on nodding in response.

“Great,” Kai replied cheerily, motioning to the table she was standing next to and plopping down in a chair.

Cinder sat down across from him, her hands trembling slightly. She cursed herself silently. She wasn’t the girl who panicked around guys. She did not have a crush on the most attractive boy in the entire school, and she was not going to freak out.

“So what do you want to do for the diagram?” Cinder asked, glancing through the instructions while trying to calm her racing heart. “Do you just want to do the circle one, or…”

“Uh, sure,” Kai responded, seemingly nervous.

They continued talking, drawing out the cell cycle perfectly. Kai maintained polite conversion with Cinder the entire time, though she never looked into his eyes.

By the end of the class they had talked about everything, from the latest star wars film to how dumb the finals were going to be. It was pleasant, and they talked as though they were best friends. Cinder never dared to look into his eyes.

“I just don't see how people can ship Reylo when he's so terrible to her,” Kai whispered, tilting his head towards Cinder.

“It's like Darklina all over again,” Cinder muttered, still not making eye contact.

“Dark-what?” Kai questioned, a small amount of humor and incredulity in his voice.

Cinder looked up, fast as lightning. Brown met copper, and her heart stopped. Those eyes would be the end of her world, paralyzing her.

She glanced down as fast as she could, attempting to stop the damage before it was done. “Uh, um, Darklina,” Cinder murmured, her face flushing.

“Why do you always do that?” Kai whispered, bringing his face down so that it was below hers, cupping his chin.

“D-do what?” Cinder stuttered, her nerves getting the better of her. She was undeniably on edge now.

Kai gently placed a hand under her chin, making her meet his gaze. Cinder froze in shock, copper consuming her whole. She couldn’t seem to look away.

“Why don't you ever look me in the eyes?” Kai's voice was low and sad. “It's like you're scared of me or something, and I don't want you to feel like that.”

Cinder's eyes grew wide with shock. How could anyone be afraid of Kai? He was your classic cinnamon roll. “Wh-what?”

“Every time you look into my eyes you immediately look away. I just… I’m-”

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Cinder felt great relief at the ear-deafening sound. She began to grab her stuff, and was just walking out the room when Kai called or to her.

“Cinder…” Kai said, biting his lip in hesitation. “I'm sorry if I've ever done anything to offend you. I just…”

Kai seemed to be trying to say something, but appeared unable to spit it out. Cinder smiled at him glancing into his eyes. “You don't scare me.” Cinder said, shaking her head slightly. “You just… um, don't worry about it.”

Cinder turned and practically ran from the room. Every inch of her was on fire. She had always tried to deny her feelings for Kai, and she wasn't about to admit them now.

A noise came from behind Cinder, but she sped away without a glance back. She thought about how nervous Kai had gotten, and how he hadn't wanted her to be afraid of him. She tried to convince herself that he was just being nice, as he always was, but there was something different this time.

Maybe this time the heartstopper felt something in return.


	22. A World Without Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...yet another alternate ending. Very sad. Very angsty.

The ornate white marble doors embedded with gold glistened in the moonlight, but Kai did't pause for a second to look at them. He could hear the blood pounding inside his head as he sprinted towards those doors, praying to every star above that he wasn't too late. No sound escaped outside of those monstrous doors. Anything could have happened, and he wouldn't know until he entered the Throne Room.

Fear surged throughout Kai's body like a poison. He had left Iko and Kinney down at the ports only minutes earlier; but that could mean anything for Cinder. She could have already been dead, with Levana feasting on her synthetic heart. The image made Kai want to vomit, but he continued to press forward.

Hands met marble, and Kai slammed the heavy doors forward. His eyes scanned the once lavish room; now torn to shreds in what must have been a recent battle. Blood splattered the floor, but all Kai cared about were the two people standing in the center of the room. They were both pointing guns to their heads- fingers posed above the trigger.

Both guns dropped with agitated shriek as Kai stepped into the room. Relief rushed through Kai as he stared at Cinder's messy ponytail. She wasn't facing him, and therefore couldn't see who had intruded on her battle. She had a multitude of injuries, but she was still standing. _She wasn't dead,_ Kai thought, his heart slowing with alleviation.

The second person in the room was one that Kai could only recognize by her extravagant gown representing _his_ country. The woman that wore it now was a pitiable sight, with her deformed face, stripped of all its former beauty. It's fake beauty. This was the true monster that attempted to kill her toddler niece and force her step-daughter to mar her own face.

Cinder spun around, face paling as she laid eyes on Kai. " _Kai_ ," She whispered, voice fearful. "Kai, _get out_!"

Kai froze, surprised by her words. He was there to help her. But then again, even the most honest intentions could be thwarted by a lunar.

"Wire cutters." Cinder cried, but Kai's body was already moving, and he wasn't the one behind the motions. "Wire cutters. Wire cutters! WIRE CUTTERS!" Cinder began to yell, but it was apparent that she didn't have any control over Kai's body. It was already taken.

Panic seared Kai's senses as he stalked behind Levana, and he yelled. "Cinder, the gun!" Cinder seemed to realize herself at his words, moving her gun up. She was too late.

An low, melodic evil laugh erupted from the deformed creature, and Kai felt sick imagining the look of triumph that Levana's face must have held. He could not see Levana, but he could feel her happy victory in just the simple way she laughed. She thought that she had won.

"Uh-uh," Levana chided. "Drop the gun now, or I'll blow our Emperor's brains across the Throne Room floor."

A desperate sob echoed through the room, followed by a clatter of metal on marble. Levana laughed again, though her voice held a hint of strain. "No use trying to control me, dear niece. You're too emotionally involved. Trust me when I say this: you have to get your heart out, and your head in."

Kai strode to the edge of the room, fighting with all of his strength against the bioelectrical manipulation. It was no use. Levana had full control over his body. She could make him do anything. _Anything._

The possibilities of the unthinkable raced through Kai's head. Cinder had to get out. She had to leave before Levana killed her. _Before Kai killed her._ "Cinder," Kai yelled, desperation leaking into his voice. "Leave! Please, get out! Get out before she makes me _kill you_!"

No sound of movement came from Kai's words. No sound, except for the dark evil laugh, and a terrified whimper. The sound made every ounce of Kai's being ache with regret. _What had he done?_

Kai stooped down, his hands grazing cool marble, before closing on the heavy hilt of a knife. If Kai had ever known terror, it was nothing compared to the feeling crashing down on him now. He straightened, and walked back over to stand at Levana's side. He looked like her guard; a sentinel. He was the puppet, ready- not willing- to do his master's bidding.

"No, _stop_!" Cinder wailed. Kai could now view her face clearly, and it crushed him to see her that way. She looked small, vulnerable even. Her expression showed everything that shouldn't have been there. She knew what was going to happen next. "Don't make him do this! If you're going to kill me, do it yourself. Stop being such a _coward_."

Levana sneered. She looked truly hideous as she did so, her no longer glamorous face making her every action the picture of elegance. Her resemblance was closer to that of a bear about to eat its prey.

Kai's body began to move again, his traitorous hand moving the nasty blade above his head. His steady hands were poised to strike, though every inch of his body was revolted by the idea. Tears leaked from his eyes, blurring his vision. Cinder didn't even move as Kai advanced on her. Kai could only utter one word through his tears. " _Please_."

The blade Kai clutched whistled through the air, and Kai screamed. Cinder lifted her cyborg hand deftly. Metal clanged on metal with a thundering crash. "Please, Cinder," Kai begged. "Make it stop. _Make it stop!_ " His voice was that of a whining child, but Cinder's face held no annoyance. In fact, her look of pure despair showed that her only wish was the same as Kai's.

"It's not your fault, Kai. It's okay. It's all going to be okay." Cinder's whisper held words of comfort, but there was no relief for Kai.

"Aw, dear Selene," Levana simpered cruely. "Am I causing you two lovers unease? _Please_ forgive me."

Cinder growled in anger. Kai continued towards her. Cinder ducked to the ground, retrieving her fallen gun. Kai swung at her with his knife. Cinder deflected it again, but did not emerge without injury. Blood began to flow at her wrist, where metal met flesh. Kai sobbed in anguish.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please, Cinder, please make it stop. Shoot me. Make it stop. I'm so, so _sorry._ " The cries echoed within the chamber, like a ghost with one final request.

"It's okay," Cinder hushed, her words comforting. "Kai, it's all going to be okay. I love you. It will be okay."

A cackle split the room. "How touching. Pity your words are false. Any last words, dear niece? Want to say something real before I have my _most loyal servant_ despatch of you?" Levana cheered. Kai could barely hear her through his own whimpering.

The knife was a heavy weight in Kai's hands. His entire body was quivering internally, though Levana's manipulation kept his exterior calm. His whole world was burning into darkness. It was a world with no sun, no moon. It was a crumbling fate, one that would crush him. It was the loud bang before the end of the world, with only brown eyes filled with sorrow to comfort him. It was a world without stars.

"It's not your fault." Cinder muttered.

Kai blinked in surprise, but he had no time to ponder her words. The next second his body was moving, lunging towards Cinder. Time seemed to slow as his blade angled for a kill. Cinder did not move to stop the knife. In fact, all she did was raise her gun. "Cinder!" Kai screamed in agony. His knife was inches from her. He wanted her to shoot him. He wanted her to make the nightmare end. "Shoot me!"

She didn't shoot him. Instead, Cinder aimed her gun around Kai. She had one goal, and one goal alone. She wasn't trying to save herself. She wasn't going to attempt to save Kai's sanity. She was never going to shoot Kai. No; the only thing she wanted was to end the tyranny of her country.

A gunshot resounded throughout the room at the same time Kai's knife made home with a sickening thunk. The clatter of Levana's deformed body on the ground echoed in time with Cinder's small gasp. Kai made no noise as he let go of his knife and stared in horror at what he had done.

Kai didn't realize that his body was his own to control anymore as he stared at Cinder. He was frozen with shock and horror. He couldn't see the girl he had met at the marketplace. He couldn't see the mechanic who had a savage comeback for everything he said. All Kai could see was the blood, blooming across her chest, oozing from the blade that _he_ had placed there.

" _Cinder_ ," Kai whispered her name, just as her body began to sway. She looked almost dreamy, like she was falling asleep on her feet. She didn't even look down at her wound, or move her hands to feel the damage. All she did was fall.

Everything crashed down on Kai as he watched Cinder crumple to the ground. He dove towards her body, catching her broken form a split second before she crashed to the floor. She made no noise, except for her ragged breathing. Kai looked at her face, pale as moonlight. She was staring up at him, her eyes peering into his own. Her expression showed that she wasn't there, or at least she wouldn't be with him for long.

"No, no, no, no," Kai muttered. He felt his own chest closing in; he couldn't breathe. He felt the pain of a knife to the heart, just as if he had taken it instead of Cinder. Oh, how he wished he had the literal blade buried inside his chest instead of in Cinder's.

Kai's hands moved to the blood flowing freely from Cinder's chest as he tried to stop it. He needed to get her to someone, to a doctor. He had to save her, or else he would never be able to forgive himself. "Cinder," Kai sobbed. "Cinder, I- I have to get you out of here. I'm going to l-lift you up and carry you. It m-might hurt, so b-brace yourself." Kai stuttered, his tears beginning to fall onto Cinder's face. She could have almost been crying.

"Ready," Kai cradled Cinder's head with one arm and her knees with the other, preparing to carry her. "One, two, thr-"

"No." Cinder rasped, then coughed. She moved her hand to Kai's chest, leaching blood onto his crisp shirt. Blood began to bubble at the corners of her mouth, but she looked firm. Kai stared into her eyes, the one thing that remained the same. They were chocolate brown, fierce, and full of tenderness directed at him.

Hysteria wound around Kai's insides. "No, Cinder, you don't understand!" Kai blubbered. He grabbed Cinder's hand from off of his chest. "She- Levana- doesn't have a hold on me anymore. I need to get you out of here. I n-need to get you to a doctor!" Kai's words jumbled out in one enormous sob.

"No." Cinder repeated. "Just..." Cinder reached her hand up again, clumsily attempting to wipe the tears from Kai's face. "Just stay with me." Her voice was nearly a whimper, something Kai had never heard come from her mouth before. "Please."

Kai was about to protest again, but Cinder stared at him with such fear. _She was afraid to die_. Kai was afraid too. "Okay," He mumbled.

Cinder gave him a soft smile. Her face was tired, but Kai was still cradling her head in his lap. Rain seemed to pour down on Cinder's face as Kai held her to him. "I'm so sorry, Cinder. It's all my fault. I'm so, so sorry."

"Not..." Cinder coughed, spraying blood down her chin. "Your fault." Cinder glared at Kai, and had the situation not been so horrible, he would have laughed. "Levana... fault."

Kai began to rock back and forth gently, squeezing his eyes shut. Cinder's breath was beginning to slow, and her entire front was covered in blood. Cinder tried to reach for him, but her hand fell back on her chest with a wet thud. Kai opened his eyes, and saw that Cinder was no longer staring at him. She was looking at the ceiling.

Her lids began to close, and Kai panicked. "Don't close your eyes," Kai wailed, almost shaking Cinder. "Stay awake! Don't leave me. Don't you dare leave me! I c-can't d-do... Please."

Cinder's eyes turned back to him, sad. She knew something that he didn't. She knew something that she was never going to tell Kai. Secretly, he knew it too; but he would never admit it to himself.

"I'm so scared." Kai admitted, his voice cracking. Cinder opened her mouth as if to say something, her eyes large and full of anguish. "Cinder, I love you, please don't leave me. I love you." The sobs echoed throughout the room, and Kai buried his face in Cinder's neck again. She no longer smelled like engine grease, but of blood.

No response came from Cinder, and Kai snapped his head up. Her eyes were still open, and they were staring at the ceiling. "Stars," Cinder mumbled.

"What?" Kai blinked, wiping his tears on his shirt.

"Stars," Cinder repeated. She was still staring at the ceiling. Kai looked to see what she was talking about. His eyes landed on a galaxy above him. It was as if the room had no roof. The ceiling was painted with thousands of glittering stars, mirroring the perfect sky just outside.

"They're beautiful," Kai smiled. Cinder didn't respond.

Kai looked down, right into Cinder's open eyes. She didn't look back at him.

"Cinder?" Kai whispered.

She didn't respond.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Kai screamed. He shook Cinder's body, but she made no sound of protest. She simply kept on staring up at the galaxy splayed above her. "Cinder! Come on, wake up!" Kai howled. "Don't leave me, Cinder! Wake up! I love you Cinder, don't leave me!" Kai's voice was nearly non-existent; a screeching plead for a lost love. " _Don't leave me_."

Kai's eyes stared at her chest, where the ugly knife that had taken her life still lay embedded within. No intake of breath came from her. He glanced at her lips, the one's he had wanted to kiss from the moment he met her. He placed the softest kiss on them, wishing that she would kiss him back. She didn't. He then looked at her eyes, still reflecting the galaxy above her; the last thing she saw before leaving Kai forever.

Slumping, Kai released her body to the floor as gently as possible. His entire body was shaking, and the tears only kept coming. His head was throbbing, and his throat was red-raw. Blood covered his clothes, and he wished that it was his, not Cinder's.

Kai laid down on the floor parallel to Cinder. He grasped her human hand, interlocking his warm fingers with hers. He stared up at the stars above them, praying to the galaxy that he could get Cinder back.

He closed his eyes, wishing on every last star for one thing. He squeezed Cinder's lifeless hand, knowing that her gaze would forever linger in the stars. He had always wanted to go stargazing with her. If things had gone according to plan, he would have laid under them every single night with her, hand in hand as they were now.

The dreams were whisked away by Kai's reality, and he opened his eyes. He expected to see the thousands of golden lights twinkling at him, but saw only blackness. He stared at the dark sky, wondering if the stars had left him forever. He wondered if they had ever existed.

 _Stars_ , that had been Cinder's last word. She had whispered it to him, but now they were gone. They were gone just as surely as Cinder was. Dead, burned out, leaving Kai forever to stumble alone in the dark.

Kai closed his eyes again, still clutching Cinder's hand. He would stay there forever, gazing at nothing as Cinder saw stars. He would see nothing but black, and she would have glittering lights around her. She would live in the galaxy thousands of miles in the sky; but Kai, he lived in _a world without stars_.


	23. Sailor on the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An AU where Kai is the lost prince, and Cinder is the crown princess of Luna

A swirl of chocolate hair, a swish of a well worn plain dress, and a small wink at the closest Lunar Guard was all it look for Selene to escape from the Palace. That and weeks of planning, scheduling, and bribing all of her most trusted guards.

It had been nearly a year since Selene had escaped from the Palace, and the taste of recycled non-palace air was all it took to set her nerves on fire. She was ecstatic to have escaped her prison, if only for a hour or two. She was free, and she had the entire world to herself.

As Crown Princess of Luna, Selene was meant to rule. Well, she was supposed to once her mother died, which at the rate of her health wasn't too far away. Queen Channary Jannali Blackburn of Luna was on her way out; as the term seems to go, but Selene's fears were growing each passing day. She loved her mother, no matter what the people said about her.

The Palace held no solace for Selene, besides her two best friends; Jacin Clay and Winter Hayle. They were both children of guards, and the only people with whom Selene trusted with all of her fears and concerns. She had spent every passing moment with the two of them until recently when both had expressed their obvious undying love for each other. Not that Selene didn't love being a third wheel, but everything since then had been too sickening to handle.

Selene herself had yet to find love, and it wasn't for her mother's lack of trying. She had once been betrothed to the Prince of the Eastern Commonwealth, but the boy had disappeared years ago. Some claimed that he died; drowned by his crazy aunt in the ocean. Others claimed that he had been hidden on Luna, but no one knew the truth. That had been over a decade ago, and Channary had moved on to other proper suitors for Selene. None of them had been the right one.

A day outside of the Palace was the exact kind of thing that Selene needed. She was sixteen, afterall. She deserved a day to herself. A day where her mother didn't lecture her on possible suitors that Selene could never love. A day when she could scour the city of Artemisia without anyone tailing her.

No one actually knew what the Princess of Luna looked like. Well, none of the common folk. Selene hardly ever used a Glamour, much like her mother. She would never be as gorgeous as Winter, but was simply beautiful enough without the Glamour that it didn't matter. Luna prohibited video takings, which, in her opinion, was stupid. Today, however, it would do her a lot of good while surrounded by the averages citizens at their daily market.

Selene had created the perfect cover story for herself. Her name was Cinder Senali. The first name was a nickname; Winter had created it. When the two of them had been seven and eight, Winter's mother had taken them to see a fire. Winter had commented on how she had never noticed Selene's freckles before, and Selene had stared dumbfoundly back. Solstice had laughed, and informed the girls that they were only the ashes-or cinders- from the fire. She told her that the cinder's blended well with Selene's skin, and from then on, Winter called her Cinder. Her last name was simply a combination of her first and third name.

The day was beautiful. It was their first day with actual sunshine in weeks. The weather remained the same temperature and atmosphere as always, but something seemed so happy to Selene. She was free.

Market people bustled to and fro, juggling baskets and bags full of goods. Selene stared around at the area, trying to decide where to start. Her first stop was normally at the small bakery where she would get a cinnamon roll the size of her face or a loaf of pumpkin bread. She wasn't particularly hungry though. She wanted to do something new; something exotic.

Her eyes landed on a small shop, nestled between the shoe shop and a pottery store. It was decorated simply, and the sign read: _Sailor on the Moon_. Selene was intrigued.

Walking over to the shop, she saw that it was empty of people. The door was still open, however. Selene walked inside. There was a small counter, and behind it were shelves upon shelves of books, each looking old and worn. Selene had seen books before, but they weren't very common anymore. It was a mystery to her how someone common had so many.

The shop was tiny, more of a booth than anything else. Nothing was on display. Perhaps the place wasn't even opened to business yet.

Selene crept up to the small counter, rapping her delicate knuckles across the smooth surface. The counter appeared to be the only new thing in the entire shop.

At the soft thud of her hands, a yelp resounded from underneath the counter. Selene stepped back, surprised. Her shock only continued to grow as a boy, maybe a couple years older than herself by looks, stood from underneath the counter. He rubbed his hand over the top of his head, messing up his already shaggy black hair. He looked annoyed.

Selene gawked for a second, for she had been expecting an old man, not a teenager. She then threw an apologetic smile, and the boy froze. His mouth opened into an O, and Selene had to resist the urge to laugh. She often had that effect on men. Actually, she had that effect on nearly everyone. Aside from Winter, she was said to be the most beautiful girl on all of Luna.

"Sorry, I didn't realize that anyone was back here." Selene said sincerely. She felt bad. Plus, it didn't help that he was really cute. He had messy black hair, copper eyes that hinted at asian origin, and a kind face.

"Are you okay?" Selene asked when the boy didn't respond. She began to reach toward him, but caught herself. He quickly composed himself, fidgeting with his hands. He seemed awfully nervous. Selene felt his bioelectricity and became shocked. This boy was not a Lunar. He wasn't even a Shell. He was Human.

Humans weren't specifically banned from Luna, but they weren't common. Under her mother's rule, Earth and Luna had become friends with the Earthen Union. Things were pretty peaceful, but most humans still resented Lunars. It was hard to trust someone who could control you. Luna and the EC were to begin open travel, but that was before Rikan died and Levana took over the Throne, abandoning ties with everyone. The EC had even left the Earthen Union.

Selene decided not to say anything about her knowledge. This boy was probably scared enough. "Is now a good time?" She asked. "I could come back later."

"Um, no, that- it's all good." The boy spluttered, his face turning red. Selene found it endearing."What can I help you with?"

"I was just looking at your collection of books," Selene said. "Their rather magnificent. I don't know anyone else on Luna who has as many books."

The boy managed to blush even harder. "I'm Cinder, by the way." Selene said. The boy spluttered some more before replying.

"Sailor."

"Sailor," Selene tried it aloud, liking the sound of it. "As in those people who live on boats on the sea?" Sailor wrinkled his nose, and Selene smiled.

"Yeah, I suppose." Sailor glanced back down at his hands, playing with a pencil now. "Cinder isn't a very common name either." He commented, seeming to struggle with anything to say. Selene felt bad for the guy. He was probably frightened of Lunars. "It's like a dying fire."

"So what do you do here?" Selene asked, changing the subject as subtly as possible. Sailor's face lit up, and he proceeded to explain his daily doings. Apparently he was a poet, a storyteller, and also a big romantic. People would come to him for quotes or poems or stories, and he would give them. Selene didn't quite understand how he could make a living off of it, but he seemed successful enough. He was only eighteen, and had recently moved away from his family. He had a little sister named Nainsi whom he adored. He loved anything to do with books or poetry.

"Where do you come from, anyways." Sailor asked. "Now that you know everything about me." Sailor looked her in the eyes. Selene liked him a lot. He was funny, and kind. She wanted to get to know him better, for him to be her friend.

"Oh, I live at the Pal-" Selene caught herself, "-I live in the next province. My Father is looking for work here." Selene glanced around the shop, looking anywhere but at sailor. "He's a mechanic, but it's hard to find much work with his profession."

Selene dared to glance at Sailor. His eyes told her that he didn't believe her story, but he didn't question it. She was grateful. "Well, I better get going." Selene said, pressing herself off the counter. "My mother will begin to worry."

"Cinder- wait!" Sailor exclaimed, his face turning back to red. Selene paused in her trail, tilting her head in question. "I didn't get to tell you a poem. It's mandatory around here." He winked at her.

"You told me your life story. Besides," Selene walked back to the countertop. "I didn't even pay you."

Sailor smiled brightly. "You don't have to. It's nice to just talk to someone around here. You're the first person I've met that was genuinely curious about me and not just my profession."

Selene grinned. "Okay, recite one of your favorite poems."

Sailor stared straight into her eyes, and began. " _There is something moon soaked and dawn flavored about her. Something kissed by the wild and loved by lightning_." Sailor paused, and Selene closed her eyes. The way he recited the poem made it sound as if he was talking about _her_. " _She looks like Artemis after a night of a storm hunting. She looks like the sun as it rises after kissing the stars._ "

"That was beautiful. Thank you, Sailor." Selene felt moved. She had never heard anyone speak with such rapture and passion.

"You're welcome." Sailor smiled, his eyes sparkling with pleasure. "I hope to see you in here again."

Selene opened the door to his shop, looking at Sailor one more time before replying. "Me too."


	24. What's Yours is Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A soulmate AU.

A tapestry of burn scars marked along Kai's skin like a patchwork quilt. They traced from his left hand and down the entirety of his left leg. They were a product of an accident that had happened before he was even five- though he knew not of how he had gained them.

It wasn't uncommon for a person to aquire uncalled for skin blemishes; in fact, it was one of the most ordinary things in the world. Kai just had a more extreme case than most.

Kai traced his fingers down his hand, marveling openly at the scar tissue. There was something almost beautiful about the burns. Something artistic. On his skin, they held no pain; but on his soulmate's skin they must have been a constant agony. That is, if his soulmate had even survived the tragedy.

"You'll find them soon," Kai's best friend, Scarlet said, reaching her hand across the wobbly table to put it over Kai's. He smiled weakly, tucking his hand into his pocket. He appreciated the notion from Scar, but it was different for her; she had already found her soulmate.

When Scarlet had turned eight, she had begun to get random scars all across her body. Some were claw-like, while others seemed to have been cut with a knife. She even had one on her shoulder that resembled a bullet wound. Kai had joked that her soulmate was probably in some kind of gang- until he actually met Wolf, and discovered that he actually was in a gang, and the leader at that.

"That's easy for you to say," Kai mumbled weakly, sipping at his vanilla and cinnamon coffee. "You found your soulmate two years ago."

"Yeah, well, you're only twenty, Kai. You still have plenty of time to find them." Scarlet twisted her wedding band around her finger nervously.

Kai sighed. They had tired out this same conversation from having it dozens of times over the past year. You got excited when your first friend found their soulmate, but by the time your last one did, you begin to get a bit nervous.

"Hey," Scarlet scolded, reading the melancholy look on Kai's face. "Just because all of your friends have found their soulmate and are living happily ever after doesn't mean that you won't. Someone always has to be last."

"I know that," Kai alleged profoundly. "It's just, Winter and Jacin knew from the time they were toddlers, and you found yours when you were eighteen, and Thorne when he was nineteen. I just- I don't even know if mine is still alive." Kai finished lamely, voicing his innermost fears.

Scarlet softened, tucking her flaming red hair behind her ear. She had become more gentle and motherly in the past few months, much different from her regular fierceness. "Kai..." She sat forward in her seat to reach across the café table, but her ginormous stomach stopped her hand from reaching his. She coughed, embarrassed and red faced, and leaned back. "They're not dead. You'd know. There are studies. People say that they know when their soulmate dies. They can feel it here," Scarlet patted her hand on her chest, just over her heart. "And all of their scars disappear. You still have your scars."

Kai had heard the same things before, but his mind always wondered if they were true. Maybe the other people had been mistaken, or their scars had faded due to negligibility. The thought of his scars disappearing entirely seemed impossible; they were so prominent and fierce against his pale skin- a living fire upon his flesh.

"Yeah, I guess I do." Kai reminisced. "Listen, it was good catching up with you, Scar. We need to do it again before you have your baby."

"We better," Scarlet slid out of her seat not ungracefully. She embraced Kai in an awkward hug, barely reaching her arms around him due to the enormity of her stomach. "Because once Jade comes, I'm gonna have my hands full. Judging by all the acrobatics she performs, she's gonna be a fighter like her dad."

"Please," Kai said, extricating himself from Scarlet's arms. "You're the fighter out of the two of you. Honestly, I don't even know how Wolf got involved in a gang; he's a total marshmallow."

"That, coming from you?" Scarlet teased.

Kai chuckled, ignoring the remark. "Bye, Scar. Love you." He shrugged his coat on and wrapped a yellow and black scarf around his neck. He left his hands bare, as he always did, but tucked his them into his pockets.

Scarlet waved her goodbye, laughing. Kai smiled to himself, pushing out the door of the café.

Cold November air bit at his skin like knives. _If only the wind would leave a scar on me_ , Kai thought. He had plenty of scars from his soulmate, but hardly any of his own except for a straight line across his knee from when he'd tripped and fallen into the gutter when he was thirteen.

New York traffic buzzed around him. Cars honked, and people laughed in a cheery chorus. Couples swarmed on every side of him, all of them with a matching configuration of scars.

A deep sadness filled Kai, his eyes turning hot. He knew that he still had time, though statistics showed that ninety-two percent of people met their soulmates by the time they were twenty-one. No matter what Kai told himself, his greatest fear was dying alone.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Kai glanced down, only to see that Thorne had texted him.

_You found them yet?_

Kai groaned internally. Thorne, unlike Scarlet, preferred to tease him about the fact that he was still alone, and asked him the same question everyday. He wasn't trying to hurt Kai, but every reminder that he still hadn't found his soulmate was like a knife twisting in his heart.

Kai began to text back, just as a shadow of a person crossed his vision and slammed into him. He let out a small yelp, dropping his phone to catch the person- a girl- before she fell. Unfortunately, he didn't so much as catch her as pull her into a ballroom dance position: his left hand wrapped around her waist, while his other clutched her hand so hard that he pulled her glove off.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The girl exclaimed, glaring daggers at him, as she tried to pull away from him.

"I'm so sorry!" Kai apologized, looking from the girl's startled brown eyes and messy brown hair to her navy coat and the glove in his right hand. "I should have been..." Kai's voice trailed off as he stared at the girl's hand, a perfect match of his own.

Kai held onto her tighter, his insides burning with sudden realization. "It's you." Kai whispered. "I thought I'd never find you, but it's _you_."

"Okay, crazy," the girl grabbed her glove from Kai's hand, and twisted her waist out of his other hands grip. "Have a wonderful day," she remarked sarcastically, pushing past him and walking away.

Kai stood there, too stunned to move. He watched as the girl sped away, happiness coursing through his veins before he realized that while he had found his soulmate, she was walking away from him, possibly never to be seen again.

"Hey, wait!" Kai yelled, reaching down and plucking his phone off the concrete before chasing after the girl with chocolate brown hair and matching eyes.

All around him, couples muttered, some moving out of the way, while others exclaimed in protest behind him; but Kai didn't care.

The girl walked fast, her navy coat and ponytail periodically slipping out of view as Kai shoved through the crowd. "Hey, please wait!" Kai's voice rose, close to turning into a sob. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He couldn't take it.

" _Please!_ " The girl slowed, then stopped. She turned to look at Kai, eyes accusatory. She had put her glove back on, and had her hands fisted at her side. Her gaze was furious.

"Leave me alone!" The girl glared at him. Kai stared at her as if she were the first star in the sky, his mouth and eyes wide in awe. She was beautiful in a simple way that said she didn't even try. Her hair was pulled up messily, and her coat looked old and worn, along with her brown boots and black jeans.

"Oh my stars," the girl rolled her eyes, and began to turn away, muttering to herself. Kai grabbed her by her shoulders, and she yelled at him. People stared, some of them eyeing Kai with distrustful eyes.

Kai removed his left hand from her shoulder, and held it in front of her face. The girl stopped fighting him, her flushed face gone pale. "It's me," Kai whispered. "I- I've been looking for you. I found you. Now please- don't try to run away from me."

The girl stared at Kai's hand, before her eyes trail up to his face and the tears on it. She gazed into his eyes, her lips parting as tears of her own filled her eyes. "I-I-"

Kai pulled her to him, putting wrapping one arm around her shoulders while his other clutched her head into his neck. He buried his face in her hair, his body shaking with excitement and sobs.

The girl pulled back, just enough to look into Kai's face. "I never thought you'd find me- or even want me. I-"

"Of course I'd want you," Kai said, shocked. "I- I don't even know your name, and I already love you. You- you're everything that I've been looking for."

Amazement shone in the girl's eyes. She looked happy and in love. "Cinder."

_Cinder_

Kai wanted to say her name, and never say anything else ever again. He wanted to write poetry about her beauty, and fill songs full of the chorus of her name.

"Kai."

Cinder's face split into a heartwarming grin, and Kai felt his do the same. "How?" Kai asked.

"House fire when I was three. My family is insane." Cinder said, understanding his question. "You never left anything- well, except that baby of a scar on my knee."

"Hey!" Kai protested jokingly. "I didn't know that it was a competition."

Cinder laughed, and Kai felt his heart leap into his throat. The sound was soft, though not understated. Her eyes sparkled, and a flush crept up her face. She was beautiful.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" CInder asked, pulling her shoulders in defensively. Kai blinked out of his reverie.

"You're..." Kai cleared his throat. "You're perfect. I- I can't even believe that you're real."

Cinder blushed fiercely, turning her face to the ground as she scuffed her boots across the ground. "I didn't think that you'd... I thought that with all these burns, you'd maybe not..."

Shaking his head, Kai cupped her face with his hands- one burned and one perfect. "What's yours is mine, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Kai could feel her breath hitch. They were chest to chest, their faces inches apart. Her eyes were huge and started, and up close Kai could see flecks of black and bronze around her pupils. "Now," Kai whispered, his lips almost brushing hers. "Can I please kiss you?"

Instead of answering, Cinder tilted her face, closing her eyes as she closed the distance between them. Her lips moved against his, and Kai moved one hand from her face to her waist, pulling her closer- he _needed_ her closer.

Cinder gasped against his lips, before pulling away. "Should we maybe, I don't know, go somewhere and talk about things." Her breath glanced across his lips, and Kai longed to kiss her again. "Not that this isn't nice..."

"Yeah," Kai said, sheepishly removing his hands from her body, but reaching his hand down to lace his perfect fingers with her burned ones. "That's a good idea."

Kai pulled out his phone, and Cinder stared at him bewilderedly, raising an eyebrow. "I promise, I'm not going to run into you again." Kai said, the paused in wonder. "Though, that was how we found each other. I just need to answer this real quick."

Unlocking his phone, Kai went into his messages, not caring about the new cracks that stretched across his previously unblemished phone.

_Yeah, I found her._


	25. Cold Hands, Warm Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder and Kai walk around New York, freezing their adorable butts off.

"Are you sure you're not cold?" Kai asked for the third time. His own nose and cheeks were rosy, but that only seemed to make him more beautiful. "Because you can borrow my jacket. Or my gloves. Or my hat. Or-"

"I'm fine," Cinder repeated for the third time, trying to act annoyed but failing. She had waited so long for him to be hers, and there was nothing in the world that could make him unlovable in her eyes. "I'm not cold."

Kai rolled his eyes but cut the argument. They were on holiday in the city for break, and light snow was falling around them like a sprinkling of powdered sugar. The couple had met at the NYU when they were Freshmen due to some mutual friends; both had liked each other from the very beginning, but had only recently had gotten together due to some friend scheming. 

It was their six-month anniversary as a couple, and they were madly in love. They were Seniors now, and set to graduate in June— Cinder, with a degree in Auto-mechanics and Political Science for Kai.

"What do you want to see first?" Kai asked, map in hand. He knew the city well enough not to need it, but he had proclaimed "better safe than sorry" so many times that Cinder had let him carry it. 

Kai dragged his finger across the map as he pointed out different destinations and directions. "We can go see Lady Liberty, or the Empire State Building, or the Met— or anything, really." Kai finished sheepishly, seeming to notice his rambling.

Cinder giggled, and Kai's cheeks flushed red, only increasing her laughter. Kai covered his face with both hands. "Stop laughing at me!" He murmured, though it did nothing but help Cinder's fit.

"I'm... sorry..." Cinder wheezed, trying to control herself. She reached her hands up to cover Kai's gloved ones and brought them to her own cheeks. Her laughter was gone, but a sweet smile remained on her face as she stepped on tiptoes to kiss Kai. He gladly reciprocated.

There was something magical about a kiss in a crowded city with snow falling like frozen tears from heaven. Cinder moved her hands around Kai's neck, breaking the kiss. Her lips felt cold without Kai's on them, but she smiled.

She had always imagined moments like these: her and Kai together—in love. Years of being "just friends" had sucked when all she wanted to do was pull him in and kiss him like she just had. And now she could.

"What?" Kai grinned, her smile infecting him like a plague.

Cinder shook her head and pecked Kai's lips before drawing herself away from him. He looked like an angel: dark hair, fiery eyes, and snow lacing his long lashes and hair with white. Cinder couldn't get enough of looking at him, so she turned away. "Let's pay a visit to the big green lady."

***

The sun had set, and the snow had gone from soft dustings to flakes large enough to see patterns on. Soft italian lights hung on thick strands; Christmas lights of every color wrapped through every tree; music sang around every corner.

The busy city life was calming down as the air dropped in degrees, but Kai was warm just standing beside Cinder.

"Hey, Cinder," Kai turned his face to look at his beloved. She smiled, eyes twinkling with joy. Her cheeks were red from cold, and Kai worried that she wasn't warm enough. "Do you want to go back home, or..."

"Can we just walk around a bit more?" Cinder asked, dozens of colors reflecting off her dark eyes. "Everything is just so pretty. And..." Cinder glanced down, placing her hands on Kai's chest. "I'm with you."

Kai couldn't resist kissing her. His arms went around her, and his lips to her mouth. Cinder placed her bare hands on the back of Kai's neck, and he flinched away from her.

"Aces and spaces!" Kai grabbed Cinder's hands, pulling them together and up to his mouth. He cupped them together and blew on them, hoping that they weren't frozen solid as they had felt on his neck.

"What?" Cinder asked, trying to pull her hands away. Kai held on strong. He continued to blow on them, before hugging them tight against his chest.

"Your hands are freezing, Cinder." Kai said, eyes and voice gentle. "Why didn't you tell me that you were cold?"

Cinder scoffed, "I'm not cold! My hands are never warm."

"Wear my gloves."

"No."

"You're just being stubborn, come on."

"Nope."

"Cinder," Kai whined.

" _Kai_ ," Cinder imitated.

Rolling his eyes, Kai dropped Cinder's hands. "Fine, but at least compromise with me?" Kai asked, pulling off his left glove.

"I'm not wearing them. You will probably die from cold. You're not used to it." Cinder crossed her arms over her chest. "I at least grew up in freezing weather. Why my mother wanted to live in Juneau will forever confuse me." Cinder smirked, "And you know what they say: cold hands, warm heart." Kai held out his glove to her.

"Kai-"

"You wear the left one-" Kai grabbed her hand and stuffed it inside the glove, not ungently, "-and I'll wear the right one."

Cinder twisted the glove so that her fingers slid in the right way. "And what about your hand that is about to freeze?"

A mischievous smile lit up Kai's face as he held his left hand out to her. "That hand is left for my beloved." Kai intertwined his fingers with hers. "And there's no way it could freeze with your ice fingers touching it."

Cinder whacked his arm, and he laughed. The couple continued their walking through the tired city streets, talking and laughing as they went.

Kai's chest filled with warmth as the couple strolled lazily through the city. Sometimes they would pause under street lamps and Kai would dip Cinder back and kiss her. He always earned a giggle back.

It was crazy to Kai that someone like Cinder could love him as much as he did her— but she did. Three years of pining after her and having Thorne and Iko tell him that his feelings weren't one-sided may have only made Kai love her more. She was his best friend, his love, and he was never going to waste a single second with her.

Lights glittered like stars in the city without any. Snow fell, wet and icy. Lullabies played by the King of Rock echoed on every street corner. People rushed to and fro, hurried with their holiday shopping.

And through it all, Cinder and Kai continued through the lights and snow— and never, not once, did their hands grow cold.


	26. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kai gets stuck in the library with a mysterious girl, Cinder.

Kai pulled on the door with one last angry tug to no avail. The door was most definitely locked, and no amount of kicking and screaming was going to get it opened. Kai was locked inside. Inside of the library.

It had all started when he and his friends had gone to gather information for next week's newspaper addition. Kai, the editor of Lunar Phases, had decided that the crew should go to the library more information on the Blackburn Murder case ten-year anniversary. They hadn't learned anything they didn't know before, but it had been a fun night with the gang.

Everyone had walked down to the parking garage together, laughing and arguing about what to do over the issue. The girls—Cress, Iko, Scarlet and Winter— were heading off to Scarlet's house for a sleepover. The guys had plans at Thorne's house. Everything was a go— until Kai had to go pee.

From the time Kai was a small child, he always had a pea-sized bladder; this night was no exception. He'd thrown his backpack in his car, telling the boys that he needed to go to the restroom before they left. Thorne had snickered as Kai had casually thrown his backpack in the trunk of his car and told the boys he'd meet them back a Thorne's place. Wolf and Jacin had shrugged the whole thing off, but now all of his friends were gone.

When Kai had walked back down to the parking garage, the door was locked. He had left his phone in his backpack, and now his only possessions were the clothes on his back and a pair of useless keys. He was trapped inside of the library.

Not only trapped, but completely alone.

Kai kicked the locked door one last time before walking back upstairs and into the library. Already the temperature was beginning to drop, seemingly by the second. Kai had only a long sleeved T-shirt and jeans to keep him warm, and it was the middle of the winter. This was going to be a long night.

A small hope that Thorne would notice Kai missing and come looking for him still remained inside Kai's chest. Wouldn't Thorne wonder where Kai had gone? Shouldn't he be worried about his best friend?

No, he wouldn't worry. Thorne wouldn't find Kai's disappearance odd, because Kai had a habit of leaving without notice. If only Kai hadn't left his phone in his backpack.

It wasn't that Kai was flighty or unpredictable, he just hadn't told Thorne his secret. In fact, the only people who knew about Kai's anxiety disorder were his father and Kai's therapist, Torin. Kai always came up with an excuse for his absences, and Thorne never became suspicious.

"Why am I so stupid?" Kai kicked a bookcase, which did nothing except cause a shooting pain in his foot. He cursed as well as he could, hopping up and down— and then he heard a noise.

Kai dropped his foot, momentarily forgetting the pain. A nearly silent shuffle resounded in the deserted library. Kai could see his breath better than anything else in the room, but he could sense something lurking about within the shadows. He picked up a heavy volume, hoping that he wouldn't have to use it. Kai had terrible aim.

"Hello?" Kai whispered, not comfortable talking at a normal pitch while within the library. He tiptoed a couple steps forward, book raised above his head and ready to be thrown. "Is anybody here?"

Kai turned to an intersection of bookcases and felt the sharp edge of a blade pressed against his throat. He sucked in a quick gasp of air, silver fog filling the gap between him and whoever held the knife.

Blood pounded through Kai's skull at an alarming speed and volume. An uncontrollable panic sat on Kai's lungs like an enormous Indiana Jones boulder. He couldn't breathe. He didn't know how to get air into his lungs. His heartbeat began to slow. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. _He couldn't breathe._

"I don't want to hurt you," said a disembodied voice. The idea of anything else shocking Kai at that moment was so far out of the picture that he thought he imagined the voice; it was distinctly feminine. "I only want to be left alone."

For some reason, these words caused Kai to laugh. He was locked inside the library with a knife-wielding maniac who wanted to be left alone? Just your average weeked.

Kai gasped in a breath, his body steadying with the oxygen intake. He had barely noticed the black spots on his vision while in near darkness. His mind cleared, and his thoughts started to organize themselves. It was only then that he saw who the knife-wielding maniac was.

The girl didn't notice Kai's revelation and began to repeat her statement. "I said I don't want to hurt you. Just-"

"Cinder. You're Cinder Lihn from Luna High School. We're in the same grade," Kai said, dropping his book to the floor. "Are you locked inside of here too?"

Cinder tilted her head to the side, shrugging her shoulders before bringing her knife to her side. "More or less," she said, her voice not giving anything away.

Kai didn't miss a beat, his anxiety choking him less and less with the fact that he was at least not alone. "So what should we do? Do we try and make an escape plan, or make camp for the night?"

Cinder huffed, and stalked away from him without uttering a single word in response. Kai took that as she wanted him to follow her.

They walked only so far before Cinder turned back around, pointing her knife at Kai. "What do you think you're doing? I told you, just leave me alone."

"But we're trapped in a library," Kai stage-whispered, his mind trying to wrap around his confusion. Cinder really didn't seem to understand their predicament. They were trapped and they needed to get out. "What are we going to do about it?"

"I don't particularly care what _you_ do, as long as you leave me alone." Cinder said, her voice resonating at a regular pitch that nearly made Kai flinch.

Cinder stalked away from him at a rapid pace, and Kai continued to follow, though he gave her a generous berth. He did not want to be on the bad side of the school's very own psychopath.

Kai knew almost everybody at school from working on the newspaper— but everyone knew Cinder Lihn. She was that mysterious girl who moved from foster home to foster home. She had no friends, and everyone avoided her. Personally, Kai thought she was a part of the mafia or some sort of gang, but he had no proof to support his thoughts.

Once or twice Thorne had tried to talk— flirt— with her, but she scared him off just as easily as the next guy. In other words, she was the loner weirdo of Luna High, which only made her that much more interesting.

They marched all the way to the back of the library where a couple of couches rested across from one another. There was a hiking pack filled with who-knows-what with a sleeping bag strapped across the top. A mound of books lay stacked beside the couch in a teetering fashion.

"Wait," Kai said, forgetting that he was trying to be sneaky around Cinder. She didn't even turn around, and Kai realized that she probably knew he was there the whole time, despite his stealth tactics. "Do you live here?"

She remained facing away from him, setting her knife down and pulling her brown hair up into a higher ponytail on top of her head. "No."

"Then," Kai stepped forward, checking out her bag and feeling a pang of guilt, "why are you all packed. You obviously didn't get trapped here on accident."

Cinder turned around sharply, glaring at him. Kai thought she was going to tell him to shove off again. "I was going camping out in the mountains, but the snow storm stopped me."

Kai whirled around to look out the windows. "There's a snow storm? How come-"

"Wow, aren't you observant." Cinder rolled her eyes and turned away from him yet again. She pulled her sleeping bag off the top of her backpack. Kai expected her to roll it out on top of the couch, but instead she threw it at him.

Kai ducked, expecting the thing to come in fast, but she had only tossed it to him. Kai blushed, feeling a tad bit ashamed of his reaction, but she had been holding him at knife-point only ten minutes before. "What's this for?"

Cinder gave him a look that made him feel foolish, and Kai only continued to blush. He handed it back to her, but she refused to take it. "You'll freeze to death in here dressed like that. Take it, and leave me alone."

"But what about you?" Kai asked, not retracting his hand. "You're just as likely to freeze as I am."

"No," Cinder chuckled, and Kai was surprised that she could do anything as joyous as laugh, even if it was a his stupidity. "If you haven't noticed already, I'm wearing a lot more layers than you. It's snowing outside, and they turn the heater off during the weekends."

"The library is open on Saturdays, I check-"

Another laugh cut Kai off. "It's MLK day on Monday. The library closes on holiday weekends."

Panic struck Kai like a bolt of lightning. "But- but I-"

"Just take the sleeping bag and leave me alone," Cinder rolled her eyes one last time before turning around and prepping her couch for sleep.

Kai stood behind her, his breathing quickening. He did not want to have a panic attack with her watching him. He hugged the sleeping bag to his chest, trying to calm his breathing as best as he could.

He walked over to the other couch, much to Cinder's dismay, trying to wrap his mind around their current predicament.

He was locked in the library.

He wasn't alone.

He was trapped with the scariest girl at Luna High.

But he wasn't alone.

This was going to be a long weekend.


	27. The Cards Know it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A group of girls asks to read Cinder's cards, and then proceed to tell her what lies in store for her love life.

"Can I sit at your table?" Cinder asked the three girls sitting at the back of the classroom. She had always hated picking her own seats in classes— especially when she had no friends in the class itself.

The girl closest to her turned, a dreamy smile spread across her beautiful features. "Of course," The girl said in a melodic voice, swiping a lock of electric blue hair from her eyes.

"Great, thanks," Cinder muttered, pulling out the seat at the very end of the table and next to the beautiful girl. She slung her backpack across the back of the chair and pulled out a book, prepared to read through the entirety of the history lecture.

The teacher who taught the class was practically evil. She always seemed to lose the homework and failed the students who she hated— which included Cinder. Good thing there was only one term left before summer, and then Cinder would finally get away from the stupid class.

Cinder opened her book to the final chapter, and suddenly realized that her novel would not last her through the entirety of Ms. Blackburn's lecture. A sinking feeling pulled at her stomach, and Cinder suddenly couldn't bring herself to finish her book. She had loved it so much, and the disappointment at finishing it would only increase if she did it in her least favorite class.

The book in question had been something she had never really considered her taste— until Kai had given it to her. They had started shared their favorite books with one another since the beginning of their new friendship. She had introduced him to classics such a _A Tale of Two Cities_ and _Wuthering Heights_ while he had brought her the magical worlds of _Harry Potter_ and _Percy Jackson_. Cinder had never even considered reading fantasy before Kai, but now, she was hooked.

Cinder was a little weird in the fact that she had only had one friend until this past school year. It had always just been her and her cousin Winter Hayle; that is, until Winter started going out with Jacin Clay, the supposed love of her live. At first Cinder had been a little miffed by the arrangement, but while Jacin and Winter were being all lovey dovey Cinder got to be close with Jacin's friends, and they were actually cool.

She had instantly hit it off with Carswell Thorne, who she had previously considered the school's biggest JAG. She could argue with him for days and never tire of their friendly banter. After their friendship had been struck up, all of Jacin's friends had followed.

Cinder now considered all of Jacin's friends to be her own. With Thorne, it was constant debates. With Wolf it was seeing who could eat the most— and while Cinder had an impressive appetite, Wolf always won. Kinney was the one who was the most hesitant to befriend Cinder, but in the end he had caved when she presented her extensive knowledge of anything that had to do with astronomy. And then there was Kai.

Kai had been shy around Cinder at first, almost as if he was scared of her. It wasn't an uncommon reaction— guys were usually intimidated by Cinder and her rep— but he had warmed up quickly.

It was only a matter of time before Cinder and Kai were talking books, movies, politics and everything in between. Within weeks Cinder was spending more time with Kai than Winter— or any of the other guys. But they were just friends. Just really good friends who hit it off really well. Friends.

"What book are you reading?" The blue-haired girl asked, apparently not noticing Cinder's lack of reading as she absentmindedly traced her fingers across the pages.

Cinder put her bookmark back at the top of her page and flipped the book over to reveal the cover. She enjoyed the aesthetics of the cover with it's beautiful red and gold swirls and the ludicrous font, but the story itself had been something else. Something she had never expected.

"Huh," The girl huffed. "Never heard of it before. Is it any good?"

"Oh yeah," Cinder nodded, "it's amazing. It has everything you could ever want. Mystery, romance, murder and all of that jazz."

"I'll have to read it then," The girl grinned. "My name's Iko, by the way."

"Cinder," Cinder smiled back, glad to have made friendly conversation.

Iko then turned to the other two girls, pointing first at a petite blonde saying, "This is Cress," and then she shifted her aim to the other girl and added, "and that's Scarlet."

"Awesome, thanks," Cinder said, feeling only mildly uncomfortable. "I take it you guys aren't the biggest fans of Ms. Blackburn as well? I mean, seeing how you're in the back and not listening to a word the old hag has to say?"

Iko grimaced. "Do you mean Ms. Monster? Because yes. She's the worst."

"Shhhh," Cress pushed Iko. "Don't let her hear you. She'll come after all of us if you do anything."

"Aw, come on, Cress. There's no way she'll hear us from all the way back here!" Iko exclaimed.

"No," Scarlet butted in, twirling a lock of curly red hair around her pencil. "Remember what happened to Emilie? She got detention for a week, and she was totally whispering." Scarlet rolled her eyes. "Blackburn has freaking super-human ears, I swear."

Iko waved her friend's opinions away with the flutter of a dainty hand. "Oh, whatever. Say, Cinder, can I read your fortune?"

Cinder tilted her head to the side in confusion. "My fortune? Are you like a gypsy or something?"

"I prefer psychic, but sure." Iko shrugged her shoulders before placing a questioning gaze on Cinder. "So can I?"

Normally Cinder would have said no to such a request, but Iko seemed friendly enough, and what would it hurt? "Sure, I guess."

"Great!" Iko exclaimed, and in no less than two seconds later she was shuffling a deck of standard cards. "Alright, so which way do you swing? We don't judge around here."

Cinder blinked, not having expected the question and slightly mesmerized by Iko's shuffling skills. "Um, I like guys?"

"Are you Bi?" Iko asked, her eyes friendly and questioning.

"As far as I know, no." Cinder said, grinning back at the girl. She loved how open the conversation was, and the complete honesty of the question.

"Alrighty then, we'll pull out the Kings." Iko said, laying down all four Kings and shuffling the rest of the deck together. Cinder watched as the girl meticulously mixed the cards together, her fingers never missing a beat.

"Okay," Iko held out the deck of cards to Cinder, and Cinder took them. "I need you to mix the deck until it feels right."

"Can I just cut it?"

"If that feels right, then yes." Iko said. "Remember, this is your future, so take it seriously."

Cinder mixed the cards in three sets of messy shuffles. She rarely played with cards and her hands were unused to the motions. She gave the cards back to Iko.

"Perfect!" Iko grinned. "You have an excellent aura, you know? Some people just have awful juju— like Scar over here— but yours is great!"

"I do not have bad juju," Scarlet cut in. "Just because I'm a ginger—"

"You cannot be trusted." Iko finished for her friend, grinning as the red-head flipped her off. "Moving on, I need you to tell me who your four Kings are. Your four guys. Your four loves."

Cinder laughed at this, never having been in love before. She didn't believe that love existed in High School and therefore had decided to forgo pursuing anything until she reached adulthood.

"What if I don't have any loves, let alone four of them?" Cinder asked.

Iko rolled her eyes, and Cinder got the distinct impression that that was Iko's response to everything. "Then just name four guys that you know in real life. They can be friends, enemies— you just have to know them."

"Okay, okay," Cinder bit at her lower lip, knowing just what four guys she would use— the only four guys she really knew.

"This one will be Thorne," Cinder pointed to the King of Diamonds. "This one will be Kinney," Cinder's fingers landed on the King of Spades. "This one will be Wolf," Cinder indicated at the King of Clubs. "And the King of Hearts will be Kai."

"Okay, so Thorne, Kinney, Wolf, and Kai?" Iko repeated the names back to Cinder and Cinder nodded her approval. "Alrighty then, let's get started. Which do you find the most important quality in a man?

Cinder pondered the question for only a moment before answering: "Loyalty."

"Ooh, good one." Iko said. "That quality goes to Kinney." Iko placed one card from the deck on top of each King.

"What kind of hobbies would you like your future love to have?" Iko asked.

"A love for reading and literature." Cinder said, her thoughts instantly going to Kai.

"Nice, nice," Iko put another layer of cards on top of the Kings. "That quality goes to Kai."

"Do you want someone who's romantic?"

"I guess," Cinder shrugged

"That one goes to Wolf." Iko dealt another layer of cards. "What about a sense of humor?"

"Oh yes, he has to have an excellent sense of humor."

"Ooh, you're perfectly even at this point. That one goes to Thorne."

Cinder grinned, and continued to carry her face in a smile as the game went on. Iko asked her all sorts of questions from if she wanted children to what food she wanted to eat with the man of her dreams until there were only four cards left.

"Alright," Iko said, fanning out the four cards to Cinder. "Pick one."

Cinder pulled out the middle right card, and Iko glanced at it with a stony face. "Your family wants you to be with Kai. Is that accurate? It feels really right to me."

"That's actually pretty true." Cinder agreed, thinking of Winter and even her mother who often teased Cinder about the boy.

"Okay, pick another card," Iko ordered.

Cinder's hand hovered over the leftmost card before pulling out the middle card. Iko sighed in relief, her eyes glistening. Cinder didn't even question Iko, not knowing if the girl was truly gifted or just one overly excited actress.

Iko looked at the card that Cinder chose, her eyes widening in shock before focusing back on Cinder. "Your friends want you to be with Kai."

"That's not wrong," Cinder shrugged, her palms suddenly becoming sweaty. Thorne had come up with an official ship name for the couple, though Cinder had a habit of smacking him every time he said it.

"Alright, pick another card." Iko demanded, her eyes buring with concentration.

Cinder chose the card on the right and handed it off to Iko.

Iko read the card, her eyes growing to the size of saucers. "Wow, I don't think this has ever happened to me. Usually the feelings are all a bit mixed up, but the card says that you want to be with this Kai."

Cinder remained silent, watching Iko revel in her latest psychic adventure.

"Last card. Last card. You ready?" Iko asked, and Cinder wondered if she should be the one asking the other girl the question.

"Yes," Cinder said, holding her breath as Iko read the card silently. She knew that she shouldn't believe in some silly card trick, but the way that Iko did it, she couldn't help but believing that everything the girl said was true.

Iko gasped, placing the last card on top of the King of Hearts. "The cards. They... they said that you're going to end up with Kai. Everyone wants you with Kai. Your family, your friends, yourself. I've never had this happen before. And it feels so right. Are you and this Kai guy together?"

"No," Cinder exclaimed, cringing at the shrillness of her voice. "We're just friends. Just really good friends."

"Uh-huh" Iko sniffed, her features unbelieving. "You're in love with this guy. You guys are destined to be together. The cards know it. I know it. You probably know it too but are too afraid to go for it."

Cinder couldn't even reply. What could she say? That Iko was full of crap?

"Whatever," Cinder said, turning back to her book. The book that Kai had recommended to her. The wonderful book that she loved and was about to finish. "Thanks for reading my cards. It's a cool trick."

Cinder started reading the words of the final chapter, but somehow they her rain couldn't comprehend them. Because all that she could think of was Kai, and how they were just friends. Just really good friends, and no cards could tell her any differently. But somehow, deep in Cinder's heart, she knew that the cards were right.


	28. Rescue from the Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinder breaks-up with Kai, crushing his heart into a billion pieces.

Cinder paced back and forth through the too-small apartment, her thoughts a blur of things she knew needed to happen but couldn't bear to do. She couldn't say it to him. It would kill him, and in that, it would destroy her. Obliterate her entire being. Demolish her very soul.

But it needed to be done.

The door opened with the jingle-jangle clank-clack of the four locks on the entrance door. Cinder sucked in a breath; she knew what she needed to do.

"Hey, love," Kai beamed as he closed the old wooden door behind him. In his hand he held a cup of cheap coffee, but he set it down the second he finished locking the door. "It's freezing out there."

"Yeah," Cinder replied, unable to concentrate on the meaningless chit chat. She didn't have time for this. They would be coming for her soon. She needed to get Kai out before they came. Before it was dark.

Kai pulled off his coat and resumed his coffee drinking, a smile spread across his rosy cheeks. He always looked at Cinder like that. Like she was the soul of the world. The only reason to live. An answer the every question. He looked at her the way only a person in love could— and they both knew it.

"How was work?" Cinder asked, her hands shaking, but not due to the lack of heat in their chilly apartment. They could barely afford the electric bill, let alone to heat the place, which left them living in constant freeze.

Kai moved to sit on the couch, motioning for Cinder to sit beside him, but she refused. He frowned. "It was good. Not much news, so there wasn't much to report." He paused for a second, examining her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Cinder lied. She was anything but fine. But she had to cut him off. It was either that or have him end up dead in the gutter alongside her. She wouldn't let that happen.

She had been stupid to believe that she could escape them, live happily— no, just normally. It had been beyond foolish of her to think that she could have someone as decent as Kaito Crown love her. Cinder was selfish to have taken him away from the safety of his father's money and into the real world of an average scum.

Kai stood from the small, rotting couch to stand beside Cinder. He reached for her hand, but she pushed it away. It hurt more than anything in the world. No— the look in his eyes hurt even more.

"Cinder—" Kai started.

"Don't." Cinder stammered. She couldn't do this. She couldn't end it with him. She just couldn't.

The couple had been living together in New York for over six months now. It had been a simple life with them barely scraping by on the pay of a lowly journalist and a mechanic, but they had been happy.

Kai had been completely disowned by his family after his refusal to marry the woman they approved of. He had been cut off entirely to be with Cinder, his secret love, but he had done it happily. Cinder had felt guilty about it at the time, but it was nothing compared to the overwhelming remorse that consumed her now.

If it weren't for her, Kai would be living the life of a king. He would have inherited his father's entire business. He would have ruled over the entire Crown empire with Levana Blackburn as his Queen. He would have lived a life of leisure— but she had taken it from him.

"Please," Kai put his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs rubbing soft circles along her arms. "You can tell me anything, Cinder."

Cinder scoffed, trying to hide her tears from him. She couldn't show her weakness. He wouldn't believe her if she displayed any sign of sadness.

"I can't do this anymore." Cinder took a step back, letting Kai's hands fall away from her. She already longed for his touch again.

"Can't do what?" Kai asked, his eyes shining with concern. His black hair crumpled downwards and into his face. Cinder longed to push it back, to run her fingers through it, but she abstained. "Are you stressed? Do you need to cut back your hours? I told you, I can totally pick up a second job. No problem. Just say the word, love."

Cinder's heart ached. She couldn't do it. There was no way.

"No, this has nothing to do with work." Cinder crossed her arms across her chest, hoping to hide the demolition of her heart from the only one she had ever loved. "I can't do _this_ anymore. I can't do us."

"What's that supposed to mean? What's going on with you, Cinder?" Kai again tried to reach for Cinder, but she refused his touch. "Whatever is going on, I can help you. You don't have to push me away. I love you. I'm not going to leave. You know that, Cinder."

Cinder shook her head, eyes stinging. It hurt. It hurt more than she could have ever imagined. "Well you have to. I don't love you anymore. I'm not sure if I ever did."

If Cinder's heart could have made a noise, it would have been screaming.

"What?" Kai whispered, his eyes wide and disbelieving. His eyes looking more gold than copper as they filled with tears. "You don't mean that, Cinder. Just tell me what's wrong."

"You're what's wrong!" Cinder yelled. "Who are we kidding, Kai? We were never meant to be together. We're from different worlds. I can't keep on pretending!"

It hurt. It hurt. It hurt.

It killed.

"So what are you trying to say?" A single tear slid from Kai's eyes. "Do you want to break up?"

"More than anything in the world." She couldn't keep lying to him. How could he not see how much this was hurting her? How much her own words were mutilating her existence.

"Why are you doing this, Cinder? What happened?"

Cinder turned away from him. She couldn't watch his face any longer. She couldn't hold the tears back. "I opened my eyes." Cinder said, swiping at her eyes before she looked at him again. "I saw how wrong this was. How wrong you are. You don't belong here."

"No, Cinder," Kai protested, his voice rising in anger. "You don't get to decide where I belong. You know I hated my life before you. I hated— hate my father. I hate the Blackburns. Before I met you in that car shop, I was on the edge. You saved me. You brought me life and love and real happiness. From the moment I met you, I knew where I belonged. With you. It was always you."

Kai spun her around, placing his hands on Cinder's face. They stared into one another's eyes, brown against burning gold. "Please don't do this," Kai whimpered.

"Go home, Kai." Cinder said. "You don't belong here. You never did, and you never will. _Go home_."

Cinder watched in agony as Kai's face crumpled and broke. She knew that she had hurt him, but she couldn't comprehend him hurting any more than she was.

"I don't know where that is anymore." Kai whispered. "No place can be my home without you."

"Stop, Kai." Cinder growled. "Don't make this harder than it has to be. Just leave."

Cinder glanced at the clock. She didn't have time to waste. The sun was going down, and sooner than later they were going to catch up with her.

She hadn't ever imagined that the Lunar Wolves would catch her. Well, in reality she had never intended on leaving them. Not until she had met Kai.

They had been her family for the longest time. Ever since the abandonment of her real family at the age sixteen. They had taken her in, raised her. But that was different than what Kai had given her. The Lunar Wolves had given her life, but Kaito Crown had given her love.

" _Please, Kai._ "

Kai said nothing as Cinder's words destroyed him. He stared at her for only moments before he reached for her face and kissed her one last time.

Cinder let him kiss her. She didn't have the strength to push him away. So he kissed her softly, with all the patience of a man in love. He kissed her with passion and tenderness, and then he let her go.

And then he left her.

Forever.

All Cinder could do was cry at the unlocked door, waiting for them to come for her and end her miserable existence.

And so when the door was broken down, Cinder didn't scream. When they grabbed her, she didn't fight it. At the brutal stab of their knives, she didn't cry.

Because nothing, not even death, would ever hurt as much as Kai leaving.

***

Kai was miserable as he sat on Carswell Thorne's couch. He was the only friend that Kai had in the forsaken city, and therefore his only place to go.

Thorne had welcomed Kai graciously to his bachelor pad. The guy was well off, though nothing in comparison to Kai's family. At the very least, he had a spare room and a working heater, allowing for Kai to strip to one layer rather than the three he had to maintain at his own home.

His old home.

"Hey, Kai?" Thorne knocked at Kai's door, his voice hesitant.

"Yeah?" Kai answered, and Thorne walked in.

Thorne held a buzzing phone in his hand, and it took Kai a few moments to realize that it was his own. "Oh, thanks," Kai said, wondering who it could be. No one ever called him since he left his old life. No one except Cinder, and well, she wouldn't ever be calling him again.

"You left it in your coat, and I thought that it might be important." Thorne said, slightly uncomfortable. Kai snatched the phone from his friend, plastering on a fake smile to get his buddy to leave.

Kai went to throw his cellular device onto the double bed, but paused when he saw the name on the screen. Cinder.

Only a moment later, the phone started to buzz again. Kai stared at the name of his love. There were three hearts after her name, all in red. Dread filled his gut, and Kai suddenly began to question everything that had happened between the two of them. He answered the phone.

"Hello? Cinder? What's going on?" Kai asked, the pitch of his voice rising with his anxiety.

"Kai Crown?" A voice answered on the other end of the phone. It wasn't Cinder.

Horror consumed Kai. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. He had made a mistake in leaving Cinder. Something had happened to her.

"Mr. Crown?" The anonymous voice asked.

"Yes," Kai whispered.

"This is the Police. Homicide department."

" _No_." Kai sobbed. " _No no no no no_."

"I'm terribly sorry, but you were at the top of the contact list in Cinder Linh's phone, and we... " The man on the other end of the phone paused, clearing his throat. "We need you to come down to the police station and— and identify Ms. Linh's body."

She hadn't done it because she didn't love him. She had done it to protect him from them— from the gang. He should have known. He should have figured it out. How could he have let this happen?

"We're very sorry," The officer said before ending the call.

Kai dropped his phone, not caring if the stupid thing shattered into a thousand pieces. Actually, he would love to be the one to shatter into a thousand pieces. He longed for his own destruction.

He sank to the floor, flooding his face with his own tears. How had this happened? Why did it happen? _Why?_ _Why? Why?_

But none of the questions mattered. Actually, nothing mattered. Because she had been his everything, and without her, he was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.


End file.
